Eight Applications Banned by Communications Ministry for Access by Children Under 16

The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) of the Republic of Indonesia has banned a number of applications deemed to carry high risk for children under 16 years old through Ministerial Regulation (Permen) Komdigi No. 9 of 2026.

Under the regulation, account blocking for children aged under 16 on a number of social media and high-risk digital platforms will commence on 28 March. In the initial phase, eight applications are targeted.

Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid emphasised that the issuance of this regulation represents a concrete step by the state to ensure a safe digital space for children.

The government has not taken this drastic measure without reason. Meutya disclosed that Indonesian children are currently faced with increasingly real threats on the internet.

These threats include exposure to pornographic content, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most notably, the issue of addiction.

The issuance of this regulation also marks a new chapter in history. Meutya claims that this policy of age-based access delay makes Indonesia the first non-Western nation in the world to take a firm stance in digital space.

The government acknowledges that implementation of this restriction regulation has the potential to trigger discomfort during the initial transition period. Children are likely to complain about losing access to their accounts, and parents may become confused when faced with such protests.

However, Meutya believes this bitter pill must be swallowed amid conditions she describes as a “digital emergency”.

According to her, this policy is the state’s effort to reclaim the sovereignty of children’s futures and support the comprehensive development of the young generation.

“We are taking this step to reclaim the sovereignty of our children’s futures. We want technology to humanise people, not sacrifice children’s childhood,” she concluded.