Indonesia's Rules Go Global, French President Thanks Country

Jakarta — Indonesia’s policy restricting social media usage for children and adolescents has gained international attention, with French President Emmanuel Macron publicly endorsing the initiative.

Through his official account on platform X (@emmanuelmacron), Macron shared a report from news agency AFP discussing the new regulation. In his comment, Macron expressed support for the policy, writing: “Thank you for joining this movement,” whilst adding a tick emoji.

He posted the message on 6 March, precisely when Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) officially released new rules governing social media use for children and adolescents.

The regulation is formalised in Minister of Communications and Digital Regulation Number 9 of 2026 on Electronic System Administration in Child Protection.

Minister Meutya Hafid stated that the regulation represents an implementing rule derived from the Government Regulation on TUNAS, which addresses restrictions on children’s access to high-risk digital platforms.

With this regulation, Indonesia is considered the first non-Western nation to implement a policy delaying children’s access to digital spaces based on age.

According to Meutya, the policy was adopted due to escalating threats faced by children online, ranging from exposure to pornographic content, cyberbullying, online fraud, to digital platform addiction.

“The basis is clear — our children face increasingly real threats, from pornography exposure, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly, addiction. The government is here so parents no longer fight alone against algorithmic giants,” said Meutya.

Implementation will commence on 28 March 2026. In the initial phase, accounts for children under 16 years old on several high-risk digital platforms will begin to be deactivated.

Platforms included in the initial implementation phase are YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), Bigo Live, and Roblox.

The government stated that implementation will be conducted in stages until all digital platforms comply with the regulation’s requirements.

Several countries worldwide have similarly adopted rules restricting social media access for minors, as social media is considered to have negative effects on child development.

Recently, Germany has also planned to implement comparable regulations. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that he is increasingly convinced of the need to restrict social media access, particularly after mounting evidence demonstrating its harms to children, including the spread of misinformation and various forms of online manipulation.

Australia has implemented the strictest social media access restriction rules without compromise, banning children under 16 entirely from accessing social media, regardless of parental consent. Social media platforms face substantial fines if found providing access to minors.

Several other Asian nations planning similar social media access restrictions, following Australia’s approach, include Malaysia and India.