Indonesia announces a social media ban for anyone under 16

Following within the footsteps of Australia, Indonesia would be the newest nation to restrict social media utilization for youngsters beneath 16. Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s communication and digital affairs minister, introduced {that a} new authorities regulation would require “high-risk” platforms to delete any accounts from Indonesia which are beneath 16, beginning on March 28.

Hafid mentioned within the announcement that the implementation could be achieved in phases, beginning with main platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Fb, Instagram, Threads, X, Roblox and Bigo Dwell, a live-streaming platform primarily based in Singapore. The minister added that each one platforms should fulfill compliance obligations from the Indonesian authorities, however did not specify what they had been. In response to the ban, a Meta spokesperson instructed The New York Times that the corporate hasn’t obtained an official regulation from the nation but and was awaiting particulars.

Whereas Australia was the first country to implement such a sweeping ban on social media, many different nations are at the moment within the strategy of doing the identical. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced final month that the nation can also be able to ban social media for customers beneath 16, whereas Malaysia‘s cupboard authorised an analogous ban that may reportedly go into impact someday this yr.