In a report by CNA, the Indonesian government is weighing a potential ban on e-commerce access for users under the age of 16, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid told AFP on Wednesday (May 6). 

“E-commerce (platforms) are next, because we found children who became scam victims through e-commerce,” Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said in an interview in Jakarta, without providing further details, as quoted by CNA.

In March, Indonesia began enforcing a social media ban for under-16s, aimed at protecting children from risks including online pornography, cyberbullying, and internet addiction.

Meanwhile, several platforms designated as high-risk under the new regulatory framework, including Google, YouTube, and Roblox, have reportedly signalled their willingness to comply with Indonesia’s requirements for a social media ban. 

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According to Reuters, YouTube has submitted a “letter of compliance” to the ministry, outlining steps it will take under the new rules.

“YouTube has also outlined plans to ‌deactivate ⁠these accounts (under 16) and will eliminate advertisements targeting children and teenagers in the future,” she said, as quoted by Reuters.

The move follows broader updates to YouTube’s guidelines, with multiple media reports noting that the platform will also cease targeted advertising for children.

Meanwhile, Danny Ardianto, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for YouTube in Asia Pacific, said the company “is in line with the commitment of the Indonesian ⁠government to continue supporting children’s protection”.

The development comes after Indonesia issued a reprimand to Google earlier this month, citing YouTube’s lack of cooperation with social media restrictions that took effect in March.

Minister Hafid said on Thursday (April 9) that YouTube had yet to meet the requirements of the new law or provide a clear compliance plan, according to CNA.

Under the regulation, Indonesia requires platforms it classifies as “high-risk” to deactivate accounts belonging to users under 16.

“There’s no other choice from the Indonesian government to tolerate them … and now we’re moving on to sanctions. And that sanction is a letter of reprimand,” Meutya said, as CNA reported.

YouTube is among the platforms designated as high-risk, alongside Roblox, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, X, and Bigo Live.

Most recently, Roblox has also introduced new content and communication controls for users under 16 in Indonesia, as the platform moves to align with the country’s tightening rules on children’s access to social media.

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The update introduces an AI-driven system that adjusts in real time based on user behaviour. The app’s homepage now prioritises services according to factors such as usage patterns, time of day, and location, with the aim of surfacing relevant options more quickly. The system also learns from historical preferences to refine recommendations for future trips.

Alongside the backend changes, the app has been redesigned with a new “Liquid Glass” interface, which brings a more fluid visual style and simplified navigation. Green SM said the refreshed design is intended to make booking and payment flows more straightforward, reducing the steps required to complete a ride.

The new version is available from April 22 via the App Store and Google Play, with both the updated and previous versions running in parallel during a transition period. Support for the earlier version will end on May 31.

To support adoption, Green SM is offering time-limited promotions tied to the rollout. These include a 15% discount package (up to IDR 50,000) across 30 rides for seven days, as well as an 18% discount (up to IDR 50,000) for selected users on up to five rides between April 22 and April 28.

Deny Tjia, Managing Director of Green SM Indonesia, said, “This is not simply an app update; it represents a step toward building a mobility system that can operate seamlessly across cities and countries. By connecting our markets through a unified system, Green SM is creating the foundation to deliver a consistent standard of experience at scale. This is how we extend not only our services but also our model of green mobility.”

The Green SM app operates as part of a broader multi-market platform covering Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines, allowing users to access services under a single account. The company said it continues to expand its offerings in line with its platform roadmap.

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The revamped application will introduce an AI-powered chatbot designed to provide real-time assistance and personalised recommendations to users. Tourism experiences offered through Mastercard’s Priceless programme will also be integrated into the app, including selected exclusive privileges.

In addition, the app will feature travel-planning tools that allow users to create itineraries and explore destinations and attractions across the country. According to TAT, the function is intended to help travellers discover merchants, local communities, culinary experiences, and other tourism offerings, with the aim of supporting longer stays, broader spending distribution, and opportunities for local enterprises and SMEs.

“The revamped Amazing Thailand app represents a significant step forward in how we welcome and support visitors to Thailand,” said Kittipong Prapatthong, TAT deputy governor for digital, research and development. “By enhancing the end-to-end travel experience through a trusted national platform, we are strengthening Thailand’s competitiveness as a global tourism destination while creating greater opportunity for local communities and businesses.”

TAT said the platform was developed in alignment with its Amazing 5 Economy framework, which focuses on revenue generation, innovation, and sustainable tourism growth.

“Tourism growth today depends on trust, confidence, and seamless digital experiences. Through our collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, we are helping build a national platform that makes it easier for visitors to move, discover, and engage across the country with confidence,” said Safdar Khan, division president of Southeast Asia at Mastercard.

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Through the collaboration, Amaze will integrate Tencent Cloud’s livestreaming technologies into its platform, introducing interactive features such as real-time voting, on-screen gifting, and live lucky draws. Additional social functions, including group-buy promotions and streamer battles, will also be rolled out to users.

The upgrade is expected to cater to Amaze’s base of six million users, with the company planning to onboard local influencers and content creators to expand its live commerce ecosystem.

“We are delighted to partner with Amaze to bring next-generation live e-commerce experiences to Thailand,” said Poshu Yeung, senior vice president of Tencent Cloud and head of Tencent Cloud International. “This collaboration marks an important milestone in Tencent Cloud’s continued efforts to localize its industry-leading audiovisual capabilities for leading global enterprises.”

Tencent Cloud said the integration also includes AI-powered features such as intelligent audio and video enhancement, real-time multilingual subtitles and translations, and customisable visual effects. The company noted that these capabilities are designed to improve viewer engagement while helping reduce operational costs for businesses.

“Our collaboration with Tencent Cloud has been transformative, particularly in driving a significant sales uplift through our live commerce features,” said Gail Sarintip Satitsatian, managing director of Amaze Super App. “By leveraging Tencent’s robust technology, we’ve seen a substantial increase in Daily Active Users (DAU), fueled by the deep engagement that only real-time interaction can provide.”

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Under the partnership, advertising, sponsorship, and other commercial opportunities in the Philippines will be funneled through Aleph. In the country, Aleph also handles platforms such as X, Pinterest, Reddit, and TikTok.

Asia is a valuable market for FIFA, with its digital streaming viewership reaching over 1.19 billion users for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. FIFA data from the 2022 tournament also showed that Asia led globally across digital streaming and social media platforms, underscoring the region’s growing role in football’s digital audience landscape.

Aleph said it will roll out coverage for 2026 across free-to-air television, pay TV, digital streaming, mobile, and video-on-demand platforms.

Anna Dy, country head for the Philippines at Aleph, said the local sports landscape is evolving alongside shifts in digital consumption. 

“We are seeing a fundamental shift in fan culture, where digital content creation has become a primary way for fans to live and share the sport in real-time. For brands in the Philippines, this is a massive opportunity to connect with an audience that is more mobile, more expressive, and more invested in the game than ever before,” Dy commented.

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With fans increasingly expecting instant and meaningful digital interactions, Blooming Talk has faced growing demands for reliable messaging during high-traffic moments, such as live artist updates. The platform must ensure ultra-low latency and stable delivery across regions to maintain seamless experiences.

To meet these challenges, Blooming Talk adopted Tencent Cloud Chat (IM) as its messaging backbone. Leveraging Tencent’s global infrastructure, the technology provides low latency, high availability, and consistent performance, allowing fans worldwide—whether in Seoul, Los Angeles, or elsewhere—to enjoy uninterrupted communication with their favourite artists.

Tencent Cloud Chat (IM) also powers Blooming Talk’s artist AI, creating a 24/7 direct line between idols and fans. Through the platform, users can engage in immersive conversations anytime, discovering new sides of artists. The platform’s lifelike AI voice call feature further enhances this interaction through Tencent’s Conversational AI technology.

As Blooming Talk expands its artist network globally, Tencent Cloud Chat (IM) provides the scalability needed to handle surges in messaging volume, automatically adjusting during peak moments such as major announcements or viral fan interactions. Combined with a flexible pricing model, the platform supports sustainable growth while maintaining operational efficiency.

With Tencent Cloud Chat (IM) at its core, Blooming Talk has built a robust, scalable communication system that ensures consistent artist-fan engagement worldwide, advancing its mission to foster an inclusive global fandom community.

Jungpil Heo, country manager of Tencent Cloud Korea, said, “We are pleased to support Blooming Talk in enhancing its global messaging experience through our stable, secure, and globally reliable cloud solutions. Through our Chat (IM) technology, we enable partners to build seamless, real-time communication experiences that strengthen user engagement and bring communities closer together. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Blooming Talk to drive new innovations that redefine the global fan experience.” 

Daemyung Jang, CTO of BLOOMING CHATBOT Pte. Ltd., added, “We chose Tencent Cloud to ensure stable and low-latency communication for our global fandom platform. Tencent Cloud’s Chat feature was easy to integrate, allowing us to quickly build a robust real-time messaging system that handles high traffic smoothly. I highly evaluate Tencent Cloud for its reliability and excellent global scalability, which is essential for our business growth.” 

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The launch marks a step in the company’s broader effort to extend its intellectual property (IP) strategy into short-form video, as global viewing habits increasingly shift toward mobile-first and episodic content formats.

Short-form storytelling has gained traction as audiences move away from traditional long-form programming on television and OTT platforms. In North America, quarterly revenue from short-form drama apps is nearing KRW 500 billion, a trend linked to the rapid growth of China’s short-drama market, which surpassed KRW 10 trillion in 2024 and continues to expand internationally.

Lezhin said its entry into short-form drama builds on its existing IP business rather than responding to a short-term market trend. The company operates paid webtoon platforms across multiple markets and has developed a portfolio of original content supported by an established global user base.

Lezhin Snack draws on more than 30,000 proprietary IPs from Lezhin Comics and Bomtoon, which the company plans to selectively adapt for short-form drama. The platform will launch simultaneously in South Korea, the United States, and Japan on February 4.

The U.S. is a key market for the rollout. Since launching Lezhin US in 2015, the company has grown its cumulative user base in the country to more than 24 million. In 2024, Lezhin’s North American transaction volume exceeded KRW 20 billion, with a year-on-year increase projected for 2025.

Lezhin said Lezhin Snack will combine user data from its existing platforms with in-house production capabilities to identify stories suited to short-form formats. Directors Lee Joon-ik (The King and the Clown) and Lee Byung-hun (Extreme Job) are involved in the platform’s initial productions.

Launch titles include My Child’s Father Is My Male Best Friend and All-Boys High School, adapted from high-performing Lezhin Comics IPs.

Beyond content distribution, the company positions Lezhin Snack as a testing ground for IP development, allowing it to assess audience response more quickly before expanding selected properties into longer-form dramas, animation, games, or other formats.

Lezhin currently operates 10 platforms in eight languages and has recorded more than 70 million cumulative registered users worldwide. The company said it plans to use this foundation to scale Lezhin Snack internationally and broaden its audience beyond traditional webtoon readers.

“Lezhin Snack marks the starting point of our next phase of global IP expansion. By continuously extending the value of our original IPs, we aim to evolve into a truly global IP company that delivers enjoyment to audiences worldwide,” a company spokesperson said. 

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Google TV’s Masthead placements allow advertisers to reach audiences in a premium viewing environment. The platform aggregates over 400,000 movies, shows, and content from more than 10,000 apps, with personalised profiles and recommendations for individual users. These features also aim to make content discovery more intuitive and create opportunities for HomeScreen placements to attract viewer attention.

The expansion is notable in APAC, where CTV adoption is growing rapidly, and streaming has become a primary form of content consumption. Markets including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia represent opportunities for brands seeking large-format HomeScreen placements to reach engaged audiences.

“Our partnership with Google TV is designed first and foremost to drive impact for our clients,” said Simon Klein, SVP commercial strategy CTV at Teads. “Google TV offers exceptional reach and premium supply, and by pairing that with Teads’ creative and omnichannel capabilities, we’re able to bring brands a unique entry point that doesn’t just reach viewers – it commands attention and delivers premium quality.”

Teads also works with its in-house creative team, Teads Studio, to optimise campaigns across screens. The team has developed 3D creative formats for CTV HomeScreen placements, turning standard video assets into interactive experiences designed to enhance attention and recall. 

Since 2023, Teads has activated more than 4,000 CTV HomeScreen campaigns globally. Its HomeScreen inventory now reaches over 500 million unique devices, with campaigns run by brands including Cartier, Nestlé, and Air France.

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The latest findings suggest that AI-powered tools are reshaping how consumers engage with e-commerce, a sector projected to surpass US$595b in value by 2028. 

“Unlike earlier evolutions such as social commerce or livestreaming, AI-powered search is rewiring how consumers discover brands, evaluate choices and make purchasing decisions online,” said Rabia Yasmeen, global insight manager for e-commerce at Euromonitor International.

Yasmeen added that the growing prominence of AI could put even established market leaders at risk of losing consumer attention. In one analysis, the survey found that nearly half of existing US skincare brands could lose relevance as consumers increasingly discover brands and products through AI tools.

At the same time, AI-driven discovery presents new opportunities for brands. Prior to the widespread adoption of AI in e-commerce, consumers typically searched for products, browsed multiple options, and compared alternatives before making a purchase. AI has compressed these steps into a single interaction.

“The interaction has changed from typing keywords and scrolling through listed products to a conversational platform asking questions in natural language and expecting a precise, context-aware answer,” concluded Yasmeen.

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