Children's Future at Stake
The policy to restrict social media access in Indonesia for children under 16 years old will take effect starting Saturday, 28 March 2026. This restriction, impacting around 70 million children, refers to Government Regulation (PP) No 17 of 2025 (PP Wait for Children to be Ready/Tunas) and Minister of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Regulation No 9 of 2026.
The following is a written interview by Media Indonesia with the Director General of Public Communication and Media of the Ministry of Komdigi RI, Fifi Aleyda Yahya, regarding the implementation of social media restrictions for children.
We are taking this step to reclaim sovereignty over our children’s future.
This policy emerges as a response to the increasing digital risks faced by children, from exposure to harmful content to platform addiction. UNICEF data shows that around 50% of Indonesian children using the internet have been exposed to sexual content on social media, while 42% of children admit to feeling scared or uncomfortable due to their experiences in the digital space.
Other data we cite from the Ministry of Health, among others, from the results of the Free Health Check Screening (CKG) 2025-2026, shows that out of around 7 million children examined, nearly 10% are indicated to have mental health problems, with 4.4% (3,038 children) showing anxiety symptoms and 4.8% (3,063 children) showing depression symptoms.
The policy requires collaboration from all parties, namely parents, digital platforms, society, and the government, as a form of shared responsibility in protecting children in the digital space.
The age limit of 16 years is based on a risk-based protection approach. At this age, children are deemed to begin having better digital literacy capacity, yet still require protection. This is not a ban, but a regulation of access to high-risk digital platforms, such as social media and internet-connected networking services. The PP and PM Tunas or Wait for Children to be Ready essentially use a child protection approach based on developmental stages/child growth and development.
This policy provides legal certainty for parents and society to report any violations committed by digital platforms. This means the state is present to ensure a safe digital space for children, without closing access to learning, creativity, and healthy social interaction.
The government carries out a supervisory function through regulatory mandates. The mechanisms include:
Starting 28 March 2026, platforms must implement a gradual account deactivation system to ensure child protection.
Platforms are responsible for ensuring reliable age verification systems, designing features that prioritise child safety from the outset, and providing digital literacy education to users.
All verification mechanisms must comply with applicable personal data protection regulations.
This policy protects children from risks present on high-risk platforms such as social media and internet-connected networking services. With this regulation, platforms are obliged to protect children’s personal data and adjust their products, services, and features according to the child’s age.
Platforms are also required to provide digital literacy education to users.
The government not only regulates but also promotes digital literacy education through various means.
We have held dozens of meetings to dialogue with parents, children, experts, educators, and various layers of society to socialise PP Tunas and listen to input from the community. Continuous dialogue spaces are ongoing. In addition to dialogue and meetings with communities, the following are other things we have done:
The role of parents is very important in accompanying children in using the internet. Child protection in the digital space can only be realised if parents, digital platforms, the government, and society work together to create a safe digital ecosystem for children. Some steps that can be taken include:
The government has held a coordination meeting for the implementation of PP Tunas attended by a number of ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Ministry of Population and Family Planning. The attending ministries will also support the implementation of PP Tunas.
The Indonesian government is committed to protecting Indonesian children in the digital realm by continuously striving for various steps to create a safer digital ecosystem. This aligns with the Online Safety Act implemented in Australia and the UK.
Specifically for child protection in the digital realm, PP and PM Tunas or Wait for Children to be Ready use a Comprehensive Risk-Based Approach.
Indonesia establishes 7 detailed high-risk profile aspects, from addiction to physiological disorders, to classify platforms.
Message to teenagers: This is not a restriction, but protection for children’s future, ensuring children are more ready to have social media accounts when they are 16 years old and above.
The space for expression remains open—however, it must be safe, healthy, and age-appropriate. We understand this step may cause initial discomfort. However, the government cannot stand idly by when children’s futures are at stake. This step is taken to ensure the future of Indonesian children grows healthily in the digital era. The government wants technology to humanise humans and support the holistic development of the younger generation. We want to ensure children have mental and psychological readiness before entering the complex social media space.
Message to parents: The state is present to help, but cannot replace the family’s role. Accompaniment, communication, da