Indonesia Issues Ministerial Regulation Restricting Under-16 Access to High-Risk Digital Platforms

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has issued Ministerial Regulation Number 9 of 2026, implementing technical requirements for child protection on digital platforms under Government Regulation 17 of 2025, known as PP Tunas. The regulation sets a March 28, 2026 deadline for the first phase of enforcement, under which accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 will be disabled on eight named platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid framed the regulation as a response to what she described as a “digital emergency” in Indonesia, citing risks including grooming, cyberbullying, exposure to pornographic content, and addictive product design. The ministerial regulation was signed on March 6, 2026, and made publicly available March 10.

Under the regulation, platforms are required to conduct a self-assessment of their risk profile for children, evaluating factors such as children’s ability to interact with strangers and exposure to violent or sexual content. Platforms must also review their child safety infrastructure, including parental controls, content moderation systems, and limits on in-app purchases. All platforms must implement age-verification mechanisms aligned to the age threshold they set for their services.

The initial eight platforms were selected on the basis that they are the most widely used by children in Indonesia and have been classified as high-risk. Compliance obligations will extend to additional platforms on a rolling basis, with a three-month window for platforms to complete their risk assessments and put age-verification and safety measures in place.

The regulation places Indonesia alongside a growing number of governments that have moved from advisory frameworks toward enforceable age-assurance obligations on platform operators. Australia registered new online safety industry codes in September 2025, building on its under-16 social media ban that took effect December 10, 2025. The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act similarly imposes age assurance requirements on platforms likely to be accessed by children. Indonesia’s approach, focusing on a named list of high-risk platforms and a phased rollout, offers a replicable implementation model for regulators navigating the practical challenge of enforcing age limits at scale without a single national age verification infrastructure.

Sources: VOI, The Jakarta Post, Kompas

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By Ji-seo Kim