Technology companies' responsibility
Meutya outlined that goal at the One Decade APSIPOL event, according to a press release issued Wednesday, November 4, 2026. She said the size of Indonesia's under-16 population warrants attention and that restrictions on social media alone cannot provide sufficient protection.
"We need to introduce additional regulations so that technology companies are also held accountable for the safety of our children," she said.
Concerns about children's mental health also underpin the push for protection under Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025, known as PP Tunas. The Ministry of Health's Free Health Check (CKG) data indicates that about 363,000 children ages 7 to 17 show symptoms of depression, while 338,000 show symptoms of anxiety.
Meutya called for attention to children's mental health, including efforts to anticipate digital risks. She identified bullying, harmful content, online gambling and excessive use of digital services among those risks.
Age limits and parental consent
Phased enforcement of Indonesia's under-16 social media restriction began on March 28, 2026. Ministerial Regulation No. 9 of 2026, issued that March under PP Tunas, prohibits children under 16 from having accounts on platforms designated as high-risk.
The first phase covered X, Bigo Live, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Roblox. All eight were classified as high-risk and required to modify their services, including restricting access for users under 16. According to ANTARA News, the government chose them first because they have large user bases in Indonesia.
PP Tunas also requires platforms to verify users' ages and classify content for five age groups: 3 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12, 13 to 15, and 16 to under 18.
Parental consent is required for account registration in each of the permitted categories. Children under 13 can register only for low-risk services designed specifically for children. Those ages 13 to under 16 can register only for low-risk services, while those ages 16 to under 18 can register for all services.
Platform changes and account deactivations
Meta announced on April 10, 2026, that it had increased the minimum age for access to Facebook, Instagram and Threads in Indonesia from 13 to 16 to comply with PP Tunas. The company said affected accounts would receive notice before enforcement and offered age-verification and appeal options for users over 16 who were mistakenly affected.
By early August, four months into implementation, platforms had deactivated about five million underage accounts, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs reported, according to the Development Policy Centre at ANU's Devpolicy Blog.
The earlier tally, reported in late June, stood at 4.7 million deactivations: about 4.1 million on TikTok and 600,000 on YouTube. Around 200 platforms had also submitted assessments of their own risks.
Indonesia's place in regional restrictions
According to the Devpolicy Blog, Indonesia is the first ASEAN member state to implement a nationwide age-based restriction on children's social media accounts.
Australia introduced its restrictions in December 2025, about three and a half months before Indonesia. Australia's eSafety Commissioner reported that the share of 10- to 15-year-olds with accounts declined from 52.4% to 42.1% during the first three months.
