Indonesia to ban children under 16 from social media

Indonesia will ban social media for children under age 16 starting at the end of March, the country’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said Friday.

In a video statement, Hafid said she had signed regulation that will mandate that kids can no longer hold accounts on a range of digital platforms, including TiKTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Threads.

“The government is stepping in so that parents no longer need to fight the algorithm giants alone,” Hafid said, according to a translation by Channel News Asia. “Our children face increasingly real digital threats. These range from exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and, most importantly, addiction… We believe this is the best step for the government to take in the midst of a digital emergency.”

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