Indonesia’s Rules Go Global as Countries Follow Suit
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The Indonesian Government has introduced Government Regulation (PP) Tunas, which aims to protect children from the dangers of social media. Unexpectedly, the regulation has become a reference point internationally.
PP Tunas has not only changed domestic rules; dozens of countries across Asia and Europe are now following suit. The United States is also beginning to move in the same direction, recognising that Indonesia’s approach may be an effective way to protect future generations.
Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid has said that around 19 countries are currently monitoring implementation of the Indonesian regulation before adopting similar policies in their own jurisdictions. This means the measures Indonesia has introduced to protect children are no longer merely domestic rules.
The regulation has become an international benchmark, demonstrating that Indonesia can take a leading role in protecting children in a borderless digital environment. Digital platforms’ compliance with the rules could affect not only children in Indonesia but also millions of children elsewhere in the world.
A major change in the United States reportedly became apparent in late August 2026. Technology giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to a US$16.7 billion fine to settle legal claims brought by 29 US states.
Meta was accused of deliberately designing features that make children addicted, then concealing their harmful effects on adolescents’ mental health, including the risks of depression, body-image problems and suicidal thoughts.
Under the reported agreement, Meta must make significant changes that closely reflect the direction of Indonesia’s policies. Its obligations include:
Daily usage limits for teenagers.
Blocking access during night-time hours to prevent children from opening the apps late at night.
Stricter age verification to prevent underage children from accessing the platforms.
Parental supervision tools to monitor and limit children’s use.
The agreement also reportedly states that Meta will pay only part of the fine if other platforms, such as YouTube and TikTok, adopt the same restrictions. This suggests that the standards advocated by Indonesia are beginning to be recognised as ones that should apply globally.
Developments in the United States provide further confirmation of the direction taken by Indonesia’s policies. The Indonesian Government has repeatedly urged major platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to comply with child-protection rules, and US courts have now reportedly set similar requirements.
In other words, the measures Indonesia has pursued are also being pursued by courts in even the world’s most developed country.
The difference is that the US Government has yet to take decisive action to curb the negative influence of social-media platforms. Lawmakers have failed to pass legislation restricting the age of social-media users, so the issue has ultimately been taken to court.
Countries following Indonesia
The following countries have announced or are preparing child-protection rules for social media using an approach similar to Indonesia’s:
Australia — It has already introduced age-limit and child-protection rules for social-media platforms, making it one of the first countries to move in a direction similar to Indonesia.
Singapore — It is drafting similar regulations using a phased approach and is still monitoring the results of implementation in Indonesia before establishing permanent rules.
Malaysia — It has announced plans to restrict social-media access for children under 16, following the approach adopted in Indonesia.
France — President Emmanuel Macron has officially expressed support for, and consideration of, introducing similar child-protection rules across the region.
European Union — The bloc is considering a similar child-protection framework across its member states, following input from France and other countries.
Greece — It is the latest country to say it will set a minimum age for social-media access, following the direction of Indonesia’s policy.
United States — Through a reported Rp296 trillion fine settlement against Meta, US courts have effectively established daily usage limits, night-time restrictions and age verification measures that are identical to Indonesia’s policies.
Philippines — Children under 13 are set to be barred from accessing social-media platforms in the country.
What does PP Tunas contain?
Restrictions on children’s access to mobile apps and social media are set out in Government Regulation No. 17/2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems for Child Protection (PP Tunas). The regulation also proposes classifying digital platforms according to risk and users’ age groups.
“Digital platforms cannot all be treated the same. The Government will therefore classify access according to platform risk: low, medium and high,” Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said.
High-risk platforms, such as those containing pornography or violence, or those vulnerable to bullying, will face strict age restrictions. The regulation sets out the following categories for websites and apps:
Under 13: access is limited to fully safe platforms, such as educational websites or children’s platforms.
Ages 13–15: access to low- and medium-risk platforms is permitted.
Ages 16–17: access to high-risk platforms is permitted, but only with parental supervision.
18 and over: independent access to all platform categories is permitted.
However, PP Tunas does not explicitly identify which apps fall into the low-, medium- or high-risk categories. Platforms such as X, Instagram and YouTube must assess themselves and report their category to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs.
The criteria for assessing social-media platforms for children include:
Contact with people they do not know;
exposure to pornography, violent content, content that endangers life and other material unsuitable for children;
exploitation of children as consumers;
threats to children’s personal-data security;
addiction;
harm to children’s psychological health; and
harm to children’s physiological health.
If a product, service or feature is assessed as high-risk in one or more of these areas, the app is classified as high-risk. It may then be accessed only by children aged 16–17 with parental supervision, or independently by those aged 18 and over.