Parents Support Social Media Restrictions Policy for Children Under 16 Years Old

The government will restrict access to social media for children under 16 years old from 28 March 2026 onwards. The policy is regulated under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation Number 9 of 2026.

In response, Saeful Rohman, chairman of the Forum for Student Parents (Fortusis) in Bandung City, expressed support for the government’s policy restricting social media access for children under 16 years old.

According to him, the phenomenon of child dependency on social media is currently alarming. Children are interacting less in the real world because much of their time is spent in the digital realm.

This condition is feared to make children unprepared to face challenges in real life. Therefore, children’s interaction in the real world is seen as needing to be increased compared to social media.

“We are concerned that our nation’s future leaders will not understand the real struggles beyond the digital world. Ultimately, their competitiveness will suffer and their mentality will weaken,” Saeful stated in a written statement on Friday (13 March 2026).

Saeful believes that parents do have a role in controlling their children’s social media interaction. However, parental authority has limitations because children’s interaction on social media is also determined by platform algorithms.

Therefore, according to him, the government’s move to help restrict children’s access to social media is appropriate.

This restriction is expected to reduce children’s consumption of harmful content in the digital world.

“The government’s presence shows that this control is not just from home, but the government is directly involved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Acting Director of the Public Communication Directorate of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) Marroli J. Indarto stated that when the regulation is implemented, children under 16 years old will no longer be able to have social media accounts.

The platforms in question include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

This decision was made because threats in the digital space for children are increasingly real. These threats include pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and digital addiction. Children therefore need to be protected from these various risks.

“The aim is to protect our younger generation from the risk of crime in the digital world, such as cyberbullying,” Marroli said.

Additionally, the regulation is also expected to reduce digital advertising exposure to children.

Restricting social media access for children has the potential to cause discomfort in the early stages of implementation. However, the policy is considered necessary as a form of the government’s responsibility in providing protection to children in digital spaces. This way, parents do not have to face the challenges of the digital world alone.

One junior secondary school student from Darul Falah, Rizki Raditia, stated that he would not object if he could no longer have social media accounts.

According to him, the policy can prevent children from misusing social media, for example by spreading false information.

Rizki usually uses social media to fill his time at home after returning from Islamic boarding school. If he can no longer access social media in the future, he plans to replace this activity by helping his parents at home.