Jakarta. Indonesia is preparing to follow in Australia’s footsteps in restricting social media access for children. Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced that the government is drafting regulations to set a minimum age limit for accessing social media. However, she did not disclose the specific age under consideration.

According to Meutya, the initiative has been discussed and approved by President Prabowo Subianto as part of efforts to shield children from harmful content on social media platforms. 

"The President is highly attentive to issues concerning children. He instructed us to proceed with this initiative, study it thoroughly, and ensure its implementation. He strongly supports measures to safeguard children in our digital space," Meutya said during a press conference following a meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on Monday.

"This is still in the early stages. We want to conduct a comprehensive study first. For now, to bridge the gap to a more robust regulation, the government will issue a governmental regulation. If further measures require parliamentary involvement to strengthen child protection, we will prepare for that as well," Meutya added.

She said that protecting children from negative digital influences is a priority for President Prabowo.

"Our discussions with the President focused on ways to protect children in the digital space. The specifics are still under development, and we’ll see how this progresses," she concluded.

In November 2024, Australia banned children under 16 from accessing social media or creating new accounts. The law imposes penalties of up to AUD 50 million (USD 33 million) on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram for systemic failures to enforce the age restriction.