Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communication Called to Coordinate on Social Media Restrictions for Children
JAKARTA — A member of the Parliamentary Commission X has urged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to coordinate with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Information regarding social media restrictions for children.
The social media restrictions are particularly relevant to children attending primary, secondary and early childhood education. “This policy targets children who are still in junior secondary school, primary school, kindergarten and early childhood education. Therefore, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education must proactively respond to this policy to ensure effective implementation,” said Habib Syarief Muhammad on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
“Socialisation must be conducted widely so that students and parents truly understand this regulation, including its primary objective of protecting children from various risks in the digital space,” he added.
Furthermore, he encouraged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to establish rules regarding sanctions for children under 16 years of age who possess social media accounts. “There must also be restrictions preventing students from using social media accounts belonging to their parents or siblings. We must ensure that even if they are prohibited from having their own accounts, they cannot freely access social media using other family members’ accounts,” he stated.
According to him, oversight of family account usage must be given serious attention in policy implementation. The expectation is that coordination between the Ministry of Communication and Digital Information, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, schools and parents can ensure the policy is implemented effectively whilst providing optimal protection for children in the digital space.
A parliamentary member supporting the issuance of Ministerial Regulation Number 9 of 2026 on Social Media Restrictions for Children Under 16 Years stated: “Currently it is only for those aged 16, and of course in future we hope it can also be restricted for other age groups as this has already been implemented by other countries,” speaking at Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
However, observers note that currently there is excessive freedom occurring in the digital space.