Government Urged to Sanction Social Media Platforms That Fail to Comply with Child Restrictions

Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has urged the government to establish a sanctions mechanism for social media platforms that fail to comply with access restrictions for children.

KPAI Commissioner Kawiyan believes that restrictions on social media for children must be supported by monitoring systems to measure compliance levels of electronic system operators.

“Without strong monitoring and enforcement, even well-designed policies risk being ineffective in practice,” Kawiyan stated when contacted on Monday, 9 March 2026.

Under the Digital Communications Ministry Regulation 9/2026, eight platforms have restricted access for children: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

“This policy will only be effective if all digital platforms and electronic system operators comply fully with all regulations outlined in the Ministry Regulation Number 9 of 2026,” Kawiyan said.

The eight platforms regulated under the Digital Communications Ministry Regulation 9/2026 are predominantly global companies.

On this basis, the government must ensure that robust monitoring, compliance, and law enforcement mechanisms exist for electronic system operators. “We must not allow a gap between excellent regulations and the actual compliance levels of platforms or electronic system operators,” Kawiyan warned.

The regulations are contained in the Digital Communications Ministry Regulation Number 9 of 2026, which derives from Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Management and Administration of Electronic Systems for Child Protection.

In the initial phase, eight platforms face restricted access for children: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.