French President Macron Supports Indonesia's Move to Restrict Under-16s from Using Social Media

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has officially issued rules prohibiting children under the age of 16 from having accounts on social media. The policy was praised by French President Emmanuel Macron. Through his X account, Macron responded to a post by AFP containing coverage of Indonesia’s rule banning under-16s from using social media. Macron thanked Indonesia for joining the movement to protect young people from the dangers of the digital world. ‘Thanks for joining the movement,’ he wrote on his X account, as seen on Friday (6 March 2026).

France has approved a bill prohibiting the use of digital platforms by children under 15. Macron is a leading proponent in pushing for the law’s passage. The bill was approved by the National Assembly on 27 January 2026. France is also the second country to enact social media restrictions for children; Australia previously introduced a ban on under-15s.

Komdigi Bans Under-16s from Social Media

According to detikInet, the government, via Komdigi, has officially introduced ministerial regulations to suspend access for under-16s to several high-risk digital platforms. This policy accompanies the issuance of ministerial regulations derived from Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic System Providers in Protection of Children, or known as PP Tunas.

Minister of Communications and Digital (Meutya Hafid) said the ministerial regulations are issued today as part of strengthening protections for children in the digital space.

“Today we are issuing Ministerial Regulations as derivatives of PP Tunas. Through these regulations, the government will suspend under-16s’ accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including social media and networking services,” Meutya said in a statement on Friday (6 March 2026).

She added that this policy makes Indonesia one of the first non-Western countries to implement age-based restrictions on access to digital platforms.

According to Meutya, the step is taken because children are increasingly vulnerable to a range of online threats, from exposure to pornography and cyberbullying to online scams, with addiction being the main concern.

“The basis is clear. Our children face increasingly real threats, from exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams, to which addiction is the primary concern,” she said.

The implementation phase of the policy will begin on 28 March 2026. In the initial phase, under-16s’ accounts on high-risk platforms will be gradually deactivated. Currently, platforms covered include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live.

Komdigi said the deactivation process will be carried out gradually until all platforms comply with the obligations set out in the regulation.

Meutya acknowledged that implementing the rule may cause some discomfort at the early stages for both children and parents.

“We realise the implementation of this regulation may cause discomfort initially. Children may complain, and parents may be confused in dealing with their children’s complaints,” she said.

The government also emphasised that the policy aims to assist parents in protecting children from the negative effects of the digital space, so monitoring technology use is no longer solely the family’s burden.