The Indonesian government plans to ban the use of social media for individuals under 16. The announcement was made by the Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, with this move being part of the government's efforts to protect children from digital safety risks.
Like Malaysia, the reasons used in Indonesia are exposure to harmful content, social media addiction, privacy issues and data security. The ban on the use of social media for underage users was initiated by Australia last December with more than AUD 40 million being imposed on platform operators if they fail to prevent it from happening.
In Malaysia, the age verification method will be finalized in the second quarter of this year through a subsidiary instrument under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866). After the assessment is completed, the responsibility of ensuring that users under 16 years of age do not use social media accounts will be placed entirely on platform providers. If they fail to comply with this provision, they can be fined up to RM10 million.
