Indonesia – The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) is set to tighten social media access for children aged 13–16 starting March 2026, aiming to enhance their safety and protection in the digital space.
The timeline was confirmed by Minister of Communication and Information Meutya Hafid during the Declaration of the Direction of Digital Indonesia event in South Jakarta on December 10, 2025, as reported by economics and business news outlet Katadata.
“Semoga, Maret 2026, sudah mulai bisa kami laksanakan untuk melindungi anak-anak, dengan melakukan penundaan akses akun (media sosial) untuk anak usia 13–16 tahun, bergantung pada risiko dan profil masing-masing platform,” Minister Hafid said, as quoted by Katadata.
(“Hopefully, by March 2026, we can start implementing measures to protect children by suspending access to social media accounts for children aged 13–16, depending on the risks and profile of each platform.”)
The planned enforcement follows earlier announcements by the Indonesian government in January 2025 on introducing a minimum age requirement for social media use as part of broader child protection efforts online.
In March 2025, the government enacted Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025, known as PP TUNAS, a derivative regulation of Indonesia’s Personal Data Protection Law and part of Komdigi’s national strategy to strengthen child protection in the digital space.
Under PP TUNAS, Electronic System Providers (PSE) are required to implement technical and operational measures to safeguard children throughout the development and delivery of digital services. These include age verification mechanisms, age-appropriate features and content, account restrictions, and parental control tools.
The regulation also mandates privacy-by-default settings for child users, limits on automatic data collection, and clear notifications when parental monitoring or tracking is in place. PSEs must obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent when processing children’s data, particularly for higher-risk services, and disclose minimum age requirements across defined age brackets.
Once enforced, access to social media features will vary depending on age. Children aged 13 may only create accounts on platforms designed specifically for children and classified as low risk, while users aged 13–16 may access low-risk platforms with parental consent. Broader access applies to users aged 16–18, subject to additional safeguards.
PP TUNAS also aligns gaming-related access with the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS). According to Katadata, Roblox has indicated its readiness to comply with the regulation, including reviewing content classifications based on IGRS guidelines.
Indonesia’s move comes amid wider regional scrutiny of children’s access to social media. In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia recently introduced a nationwide ban on social media account users under 16 as part of the country’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024.
Singapore is also considering age limits for social media to protect young users. As part of this move, the new Code of Practice for Online Safety now requires app stores to block children under 12 from downloading apps like Instagram and TikTok, which are rated for users aged 12 and above.
