Indonesia has begun enforcing its new child online safety regulations, with social media platforms removing millions of accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 as authorities tighten restrictions on children’s access to digital platforms.
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid announced that TikTok has deactivated approximately 4.1 million accounts, while YouTube has removed around 600,000 accounts in compliance with the government’s directive.
The removals follow a regulation introduced in March requiring social media platforms classified as high risk to deactivate accounts owned by children under 16. The rule currently applies to platforms including TikTok, YouTube, X, Instagram and gaming platform Roblox.
Speaking on Thursday, Meutya Hafid said the government expects all affected companies to comply with the new requirements, stressing that the policy is intended to bring lasting changes to how digital platforms protect young users.
“We’re not just delaying a child’s access, but we want behaviours from platforms to change, too,” she said, adding that the ministry is reviewing self-assessment reports submitted by the companies to monitor compliance.
Neither TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, nor YouTube, operated by Google’s parent company Alphabet, immediately responded to requests for comment.
The Indonesian government says the new measures are aimed at protecting children from cyberbullying, excessive social media use and other online risks.
Indonesia joins a growing number of countries adopting stricter controls on children’s access to social media. Australia introduced a similar ban last year over concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s mental health, while Britain recently announced plans to expand restrictions to include gaming and live-streaming platforms.
The Indonesian government says it will continue monitoring compliance as it pushes technology companies to strengthen child safety measures across their platforms.
