East Java Education Office Prepares Circular to Restrict Social Media for Students Under 16 Years Old

The Provincial Education Office of East Java (Disdik Jatim) has moved quickly following the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) restricting social media use for children under 16 years of age. Disdik Jatim will issue a circular to all schools regarding the policy.

“This is certainly a step we appreciate, truly remarkable, including the Governor who has stated that the steps taken by Komdigi are the right steps, and of course those with the authority to restrict and block social media for those under 16 years of age is Komdigi,” said Head of Disdik Jatim Aries Agung Paewai in Surabaya on Monday (9 March).

Regarding the policy, Aries said the office would follow up, particularly by providing information and circulars to schools so that they could communicate the policy to students.

Aries said the social media restriction policy for children is a positive step by the central government, given that children are not yet fully aware of the impacts of social media, particularly regarding their personality development.

Disdik Jatim has visited various schools and found that many school principals, teachers and educators are responding positively to the policy restricting social media use for children.

“Because this also impacts the quality of learning for our students. Many of our students, particularly those in grades 11 and 10, are still aged 16 and 15 years old. We hope this will help support that process,” he said.

Komdigi has officially announced it will implement the policy restricting the age of children and adolescents accessing social media starting 28 March 2026. The policy will prohibit children under 16 years from having accounts on several social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X. The measure aims to prevent addiction and exposure to sexual content on high-risk platforms.