Many Countries Follow Indonesia's Rules, Expert Calls It Unfair

Many countries around the world are implementing rules limiting social media use for teenagers. Indonesia has announced similar regulations through Government Regulation Tunas since March 2025. Its implementation then restricts children aged 16 and under from accessing social media starting 28 March 2026.

Meanwhile, Australia was the first to impose a strict ban on social media access in December 2025 with the same age limit. Several European countries are reportedly planning to do the same; the UK, Spain, France, and Austria have drafted their own proposals.

Nevertheless, not all parties agree with the ban on teenagers using social media. One of them is Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology, who calls the ban a hasty solution because the government is deemed to have failed in supervising tech giants.

“I think the argument for a ban is an admission of our failure to regulate companies, so we can only restrict children,” Livingstone said, quoted from CNBC International, Friday (10/4/2026).

She said that countries like the United States (US) and in Europe have many rules that are not enforced. Big tech companies should face many interventions banning the practices they currently engage in.

One example she cited is the UK’s online safety rules, which have required safety from the design stage. If enforced, features like Snapchat’s Quick Add, which allows teenagers to befriend strangers, should be stopped.

She described a comprehensive ban as a punishment for the young generation that depends on online interactions. That solution, she said, is a lazy one from the government and unfair to young people.

“The ban now is like saying ‘children, we can’t make regulations work. We can’t update them fast enough. We haven’t provided anything else to do, but this is your fate,’” she explained.

Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, also disagrees with a comprehensive ban. He only wants to see privacy and safety rules applied across the US.

The US also has a Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act or KOSA, which Golin believes plays a role in ensuring platforms are legally accountable for design features that cause harm, such as addiction.