Indonesia - the latest to introduce social media ban for minors

On 5 March 2026, Indonesia announced a nationwide ban on social media and other “high-risk” online platforms for users under the age of 16 (the “Ban”). This is part of a broader child online safety strategy to combat the harms children are exposed to online. The Ban is to be phased in from late March 2026, making it one of the first in the region to implement mandatory age-restrictions for online platforms.

Background and Rationale

The Ban is being implemented through Article 21 of the Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 (“GR17”) that was issued in March 2025. Although it officially came into force in April 2025, implementation and enforcement have been gradual with a transition period of up to 2 years. The Ban is one of several requirements introduced by GR17, including requirements to:

• Implement technology and operational technical measures for child protection;
• Provide reporting mechanisms for content that violates children’s rights;
• Conduct self-assessment of risks which must be reported to the Minister;
• Configure privacy settings at the highest level by default for products designed for or likely to be accessed by children;
• Conduct personal data protection impact assessments for products used by children;
• Provide clear and accessible information that is easy for children and parents/guardians to understand;
• Not use covert methods to encourage children to disclose excessive information;
• Not use precise geolocation data collection on children; and
• Not profile children.

The Ban aims to protect children from a broad range of online harms, including exposure to pornography and adult content, cyberbullying, online fraud and scams, and addiction to social media and digital platforms. Communications and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya Hafid has framed the Ban as necessary so that parents "do not have to combat the algorithmic giants alone," describing the measure as a means to rebalance power between families and large platforms whose recommendation algorithms can drive compulsive use and expose children to harmful material.

At present, we do not have many details about the mechanisms of the Ban. For instance, it is unclear how platforms are expected to verify the ages of users. Nevertheless, GR17 provides some of the following details:

• Risk-based approach to children under 16: Not all platforms will be prohibited when the Ban comes into effect. Children under the age of 16 will be prohibited from using or holding accounts on certain high-risk social media and other digital platforms. Pursuant to Article 5 of GR17, “high-risk” platforms are platforms that are likely to facilitate (a) contact with strangers, (b) exposure to harmful materials, (c) the exploitation of children as consumers, (d) threats to children’s personal data, (e) addiction, and (f) psychological (health) disorders. In the announcement, the following platforms have explicitly been named as “high-risk”:  YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), Bigo Live, and Roblox.
• Timeline of implementation:  The Ban will begin soon on 28 March 2026 and will be implemented in stages “until all platforms fulfil their compliance obligations”. 
• Penalties: Pursuant to Article 38 of GR17, failure to comply with the child protection obligations may result in penalties in the form of (a) written reprimands, (b) administrative fines, (c) temporary suspensions, and (d) termination of access.
• Further restrictions on children under 13: Although not explicitly mentioned in the latest announcement, Article 21 of GR17 states that children under the age of 13 will only be allowed to create accounts on low-risk platforms that have specifically been designed for children. Examples include platforms designed to facilitate education in schools.

Practical Steps for Organisations

Organisations operating digital platforms in Indonesia should consider the following steps to prepare for compliance with the Ban and other obligations of GR17:

• Review Platform Classification: Organisations should assess whether their platforms fall within the "high-risk" category targeted by the regulation.
• Implement Age-Verification Systems: High-risk platforms will need to deploy age-verification mechanisms to identify users under the age of 16 and prevent or limit their access. Organisations should monitor regulatory guidance on which verification methods will be mandated and ensure that any systems implemented are balanced with privacy and data protection obligations.
• Prepare for Account Deactivation: High-risk platforms should develop processes for identifying and deactivating or suspending existing accounts held by users under the age of 16 in accordance with the staged rollout schedule. This may require enhanced user-identification capabilities and communication strategies for affected users and their families.

Conclusion

The Ban follows a growing trend of online child protection regulations; similar child online safety and age-based rules have been developed in Australia and Europe. As child protection continues to take centre stage, organisations will need to step up controls on their platforms to ensure a safer online environment.  

This article was co-written by Leong Tzi An (Zaine).