Social Media Restrictions for Under 16s are Good for Children's Mental Health

Illustration of restrictions on the use of social media for children. (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Restrictions on the use of social media by children are considered to have a positive impact on mental and emotional development.

Limiting access to social media from an early age, children have more room to develop socially in the real world, learn to manage emotions, and reduce exposure to content that is not necessarily age-appropriate.

Subspecialist psychiatrist in addiction psychiatry, Kristiana Siste Kurniasanti, assessed that restricting access to social media for children under the age of 16 is an important step to support children's mental health.

In an interview in Jakarta, Tuesday, the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital explained that biologically the brain development of children under the age of 18 is not fully mature.

According to him, this condition makes children not fully able to understand the consequences of their actions, including when interacting in the digital space.

"When something that is high risk must be restricted because it is related to the function of the brain that has not been perfectly formed, so in choosing whether this is high risk for him, it still has to be under strict supervision. That is, children cannot be left alone to choose," said Kristiana.

He assessed that restricting access to social media for children under 16 years of age can help them avoid various negative risks that often arise in the digital space.

Entering the age of 16, the development of the child's brain is generally better so that they are able to assess the benefits and risks of the actions taken, including using social media.

"Children have developed 16 years and above, so their prefrontal cortex has developed perfectly. He can see 'this is a blessing, what is the disadvantage for me'. So it also supports the mental development of children," he said.

Kristiana explained that maturity in making decisions is related to the development of the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that plays a role in decision-making and regulating emotions. This part of the brain only develops optimally when a person enters the age of around 20 to 21 years.

However, the ability to make simple decisions actually began to emerge when children were around eight years old. However, at this stage, this ability is still very limited and still requires supervision from parents.

"But he can already choose 'I want a red, yellow shirt' that is for something simple. However, for something complex, of course, at a higher age, so in young adulthood, 20-21 years old," he said.

Furthermore, Kristiana emphasized that the role of parents is very important in accompanying children using technology, especially in the midst of increasingly easy and diverse digital access.

Therefore, digital education for parents is also no less important.

"Making parents smart digitally is the most important thing actually. This is the only way, for example, to close access, but the parents themselves must have their own education," he added.

Previously, the Ministry of Communication and Digital issued Minister Regulation Number 9 of 2026 which regulates restrictions on access to digital platforms for children under the age of 16.

The regulation is a derivative of Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of the Implementation of Electronic Systems in the Protection of Children or PP Tunas. In the regulation it is stated that children under the age of 16 are not allowed to have accounts on digital platforms that are considered high-risk.

The government considers this policy to be an important step to protect children from various risks in the digital world.

"We want technology to humanize people, not to bury the childhood of our children," said Meutya Hafid as Minister of Communication and Digital.