West Java: Child protection must not be hindered by social media platform businesses

Child protection must be prioritised and must not be disrupted by anything, including the business interests of social media platforms.

Bandung (ANTARA) - The West Java Provincial Government, through its Regional Secretary Herman Suryatman, has emphasised that child protection must not be hindered by technical reasons or business models from social media platform providers.

He made this statement in connection with the uneven compliance among global platforms, where by 9 April 2026, Meta and X are reported to be fully compliant, but the giant platform YouTube owned by Google has not yet met the requirements, while TikTok and Roblox are only partially compliant.

In an interview with ANTARA in Bandung on Friday evening, Herman said that the West Java Provincial Government emphasises the need for equal legal treatment for all social media platforms operating in Indonesia to immediately comply with Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 (PP TUNAS), including the rule on the minimum user age of 16 years contained therein.

“Our view is simple: the rules must apply equally to all platforms. Do not let some platforms seriously adapt, while others move slowly,” said Herman.

Therefore, he asked the central government not to hesitate to impose administrative sanctions on stubborn platforms for violations of PP TUNAS as a safety net for Indonesian children on social media.

“The approach can start with guidance and supervision, but if necessary, it must be accompanied by firm and fair enforcement of administrative sanctions,” he stated.

PP Tunas will take effect from 28 March 2026. The regulation covers restrictions on children’s access to digital platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Bigo Live, YouTube, TikTok, and Roblox.

Based on the Ministry of Communication and Digital, the owners of digital platforms that by Thursday (9/4) at 17:50 WIB have fully complied with PP Tunas include Meta (Threads, Instagram, Facebook), X, and Bigo Live.

Platforms TikTok and Roblox are assessed to have partially complied with the provisions in PP Tunas. Google, as the owner of the YouTube platform, is assessed not to have shown good faith in complying with the regulation.