Indonesia has become the latest country to start enforcing a sweeping ban on social media for those under 16 years old.
As reported by the Associated Press, the idea is to prevent minors from encountering “pornography, cyberbullying, online scams, and addiction” while online. Affected platforms include Roblox, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and a regional video chat platform.
Indonesian authorities said the social media ban is being phased in instead of a wholesale enforcement. However, affected platforms have been warned to adhere to the ban.
“There will be no compromise on compliance, and every business entity operating in Indonesia is required to comply with Indonesian law,” said Indonesia minister of digital affairs Meutya Hafid.
Hafid also said there would be a one-year transition period. Once the transition period ends, any failure to comply with the ban would be penalized.
Indonesia has a population of around 280 million. According to authorities, the social media ban would apply to 70 million minors in the country.
This makes the ban the furthest reaching in the world so far. By comparison, Australia’s social media ban applies to an estimated 27.5 million minors.
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