Heavy Challenges Shadow Age Restriction Regulation on Social Media

JAKARTA - The issuance of regulations prohibiting children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts is considered an important step in strengthening the child protection ecosystem. The policy is expected to mitigate the risks that target children in the digital realm.

Minister of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifatul Choiri Fauzi stated that his party fully supports the issuance of the Minister of Communication and Digital Regulation (Permen Komdigi) Number 9 of 2026. The rule is considered as a manifestation of the presence of the state mitigating the risk of child safety in the digital space.

The regulation is considered an important step to strengthen the child protection ecosystem in the midst of rapid technological transformation. The issuance of the regulation is to ensure that digital development goes hand in hand with efforts to protect the younger generation.

"With this policy, the state shows its presence to mitigate various risks faced by children in the digital space, ranging from exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, to various forms of exploitation," said Arifah in a press statement.

Permen Komdigi Number 9 of 2026 stipulates that accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 on high-risk digital platforms will be gradually deactivated, starting on March 28, 2026.

The main focus in the early stages includes social media platforms and networking services, such as Youtube, Tiktok, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

This policy of delaying access to social media comes amid a spike in cases involving children in the digital space. According to UNICEF data, about 50 percent of Indonesian children who use the internet have been exposed to sexual content on social media, and as many as 42 percent of children admit to feeling afraid or uncomfortable due to their experiences in the digital space.

Indonesia is ranked third in the world with around 1.45 million cases of online sexual exploitation (OCSE), according to a report by Komdigi together with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The modus operandi that is often used is a predator who disguises himself using a fake account to persuade children to send indecent content, or known as extortion.

It is quite often news about child crimes through social media or online games that become a national concern. In December 2025, a teenager in Situbondo became a victim of rape after being persuaded through social media.

Not to mention the case of a teenager's suicide in Cianjur and Sukabumi in October 2025 which was triggered by psychological pressure due to bullying on social media.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) recorded the highest child suicide cases in Southeast Asia in the 2023-2025 period. The most victims are in the 13-15 age group, the group most affected by this policy.

Indonesia is not the first country to impose restrictions on children's social media. Australia has implemented a ban on access to social media for children under 16 years of age since December 10, 2025, without parental permission exceptions. Denmark also reached a political agreement in November 2025 to limit the use of social media for children under 15 years of age, even utilizing a national digital identity verification system to ensure user age.

The presence of this regulation is expected to make Indonesia's digital space no longer a haven, but a safe environment for the future of the younger generation.

However, there are a number of challenges in implementing this regulation in the field. The Minister of PPPA highlighted the readiness of parents to accompany their children.

"There are still many parents who do not have adequate digital understanding and skills to optimally accompany their children. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of parents is very important," said Arifah.

The Ministry of PPPA is also aware of the gap for children to find shortcuts to avoid access restrictions, such as the use of virtual private networks (VPNs). The use of this off-the-radar path has the potential to trigger new risks that are more unmonitored.

In addition, Arifah emphasized that restricting access technically is not the only way to protect children in cyberspace. It takes a combination of strong digital literacy, wise supervision, and harmonious communication between parents and children.

Members of the ECPAT Indonesia Board of Directors (a global network working to combat violence against children and child sexual exploitation), appreciate this step. The regulation is in line with global trends in countries such as Australia and France.

But on the other hand, there are critical notes regarding the lack of clarity of sanctions for platforms in the regulation. In Australia, said Ahmad, a similar policy is accompanied by very large fines for platforms that fail to ensure that their users are over 16 years old.

Without firm sanctions, this rule is threatened to be effective for a moment because there is a possibility of legal manipulation by children or the platform itself. Some loopholes highlighted by ECPAT Indonesia include, among others, age manipulation, namely children can easily falsify age data when registering an account. In addition, children can still access content by borrowing an account belonging to parents or other adults.