The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs issued Ministerial Regulation No. 9 of 2026, a derivative of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on Electronic System Governance for Child Protection, widely known as PP Tunas.
The rule prohibits children under 16 from holding accounts on platforms categorized as high risk.
“Today we issued this ministerial regulation derived from PP Tunas. Through this rule, the government postpones account access for children under 16 on high-risk digital platforms, including social media and networking services,” Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in Jakarta on Friday.
Implementation of the regulation will begin gradually on March 28, 2026. Accounts belonging to users under 16 on platforms deemed high risk — including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigolive and Roblox — will be deactivated.
Hafid acknowledged the transition may initially create discomfort, with children likely to complain and parents potentially facing confusion while adapting to the new restrictions.
However, she said the government believes limiting access to high-risk platforms is necessary to better safeguard children from digital threats that are increasingly prevalent in Indonesia’s online environment.
“We want technology to humanize humans, not sacrifice our children’s childhood,” Hafid said.
She added that Indonesia is the first non-Western country to impose such restrictions on children’s access to social media and other high-risk digital services.
The regulation aims to protect minors from risks including exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and excessive internet use that can lead to addiction.
Hafid said the policy also seeks to strengthen parental support by ensuring families are not left alone in managing children’s digital activity against powerful platform algorithms.
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Translator: Farhan, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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