Starting from March 28, the Indonesian government is banning minors under the age of 16 from using social media. Although some students worry that they won't know what to do without social media, others admit they are too addicted and support the government's restrictions.
Following Australia’s youth social media ban last December, Indonesia is taking similar action to protect around 70 million minors from the threats of online bullying, pornographic content, and internet addiction.
The authorities regard social media applications such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X as “high-risk” platforms, and will implement the minor ban in phases starting Saturday. Violators may face fines or even suspension of services.
Bradley, an 11-year-old boy attending a private programming training school in Jakarta, often browses short video platform TikTok for up to five hours on weekends. After the ban comes into effect, he worries that he will have nothing to do.
He said: “Maybe I’ll do some other activities... but I think I’ll ask my parents to help me log in to the account.”
Fifteen-year-old Maximilian feels he is overly addicted to social media, and therefore supports the government’s ban.
Randy, a teacher at the programming school, uses YouTube in his classes, but thinks the ban will push teachers to find better teaching tools. The Indonesian Teachers Association hopes the government will completely prohibit the use of mobile phones in classrooms.
However, some parents believe the social media ban was rolled out hastily, while experts question the effectiveness of the measure, suggesting that children may find ways to circumvent it.
According to a survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association, Indonesia’s internet penetration rate is expected to reach 80.66% in 2025, and among Gen Z users aged 13 to 28, the penetration rate is as high as 87.8%.