OpenAI’s ChatGPT. (Photo: OpenAI)

 

 

[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Indonesia will introduce a ban on social media accounts for users under the age of 16, following a similar move by Australia aimed at protecting minors from harmful online content.

According to Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters on March 7 (local time), Indonesian Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid announced that she had signed a government regulation banning account creation by users under 16 on high-risk digital platforms.

The regulation targets platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and Roblox.

The new rules will be implemented in stages starting March 28.

Minister Hafid said children face various online dangers, including pornography, cyberbullying, online scams, and addiction.

“The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight the enormous force of algorithms alone,” she said.

Hafid acknowledged that the policy could cause initial inconvenience, but emphasized that the measure is intended to protect children’s future and restore their autonomy.

“We want technology to make people more human, not sacrifice children’s childhood,” she said.

Australia has also moved to strengthen protections for minors, blocking users under 16 from social media platforms and restricting access by those under 18 to inappropriate online content, including pornography, across digital services such as AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

With the move, Indonesia becomes the second country after Australia to introduce a nationwide restriction on social media accounts for users under 16. Australia implemented the world’s first such measure in December last year.

 

 

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