ASEAN Beat | Society | Southeast Asia

Indonesia Says Tech Firms Have Wiped 4.7M Child Accounts Since Govt Ban

Jakarta is one of a growing cohort of nations seeking to safeguard under-16s from cyberbullying, online fraud, and pornography.

TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a total of around 4.7 million accounts belonging ​to Indonesian children since the country’s youth social media restrictions took effect in late March, the country’s communications and digital affairs minister said.

Speaking late last week, Meutya Hafid told the press that TikTok had deactivated 4.1 million accounts since the imposition of the ban, Reuters reported, while YouTube has deactivated some 600,000 accounts. She added that ​the ministry was currently checking the self-assessment reports submitted by the two companies, but that it wanted other big tech firms to follow.

“We’re not just ‌delaying ⁠a child’s access, but we want behaviors from platforms to change, too,” Meutya said.

On March 28, Indonesia joined a growing cohort of nations in blocking children under the age of 16 from having accounts on “high-risk” digital platforms, which include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

In announcing the measure in March, Meutya Hafid said that the restrictions were intended to safeguard children from online harms.

“Our children face increasingly real threats. From exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly, addiction,” Hafid said. “The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giant of algorithms.”

As I have noted previously, the Indonesian government has not been shy about flexing its regulatory muscles against big foreign tech firms. Over the past few years, it has introduced a regulation requiring digital platforms to pay media outlets that provide them with content and banned social media companies from facilitating sales of products on their platforms. Its internet regulations also give the government the power to fine or block social media........

© The Diplomat