More than 70 million children left without access to social networks in Indonesia since Saturday: “No room for compromise”
More than 70 million children have officially been left without access to social media in Indonesia after a ban on under-16s came into force on Saturday, with authorities warning platforms that there would be “no room for compromise”, reports France Presse.
The Asian archipelago of 284 million people thus becomes the latest country in the world to pass legislation to protect its young population from the harmful effects of exposure to addictive platform content.
Accounts belonging to people under 16 must start being disabled from Saturday on so-called “high-risk” platforms, namely YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live (live video) and Roblox.
Social media must comply with the ban immediately
X and Bigo Live have already applied this new regulation and raised the minimum age of use to 16 and 18 respectively, Communications Minister Meutya Hafid said on Friday evening, just before the ban took effect.
The other digital platforms must “immediately align their products, functionalities and services to the current regulation,” the minister said at a press conference, saying there would be “no room for compromise” for social networks operating in Indonesia.
TikTok assured in a statement on Friday that it is committed to complying with this new regulation, including “taking appropriate measures regarding the accounts of minors under the age of 16”.
However, the Indonesian government has not specified how it plans to enforce the ban. Platforms are responsible for regulating the access of minors, and failure to comply with these provisions exposes them to fines or even suspension.
Wave of countries taking action against social platforms
Several countries, including Australia, have tightened age restrictions on social media amid growing concerns about children's exposure to harmful online content and excessive screen time.
Australia introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, becoming the first country to do so. Various countries are considering or moving toward similar bans.
The lower house of the French parliament approved a ban on under-15s in January.
And Austria announced on Friday that it will ban access to social media for children under 14
Responsible for addictiveness
In the United States, a jury on Wednesday found Instagram and YouTube responsible for the addictive nature of their platforms and the mental health disorders suffered by a young California girl as a teenager, awarding her several million dollars in damages.
Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) had already been convicted on Tuesday in another unprecedented verdict in New Mexico, where it was found guilty of failing to adequately protect underage users from sexual predators.
In the United Kingdom, the House of Lords voted for the second time on Wednesday in favor of an amendment, which the Labour-majority House of Commons does not support, aimed at banning social media for children under 16.
Photo: Miko Bagus | Dreamstime.com
