Indonesia is enforcing strict regulations to enhance teenage safety on social media, as highlighted by Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid. Following new rules, TikTok and YouTube have deactivated millions of accounts.
The teenage safety protocols on social media are being taken very seriously all over the world, and last on the list is Indonesia. According to a report published by Reuters, the country’s communications and Digital Minister, Meutya Hafid, said TikTok and YouTube have deactivated millions of accounts as soon as the new rules came into action. TikTok eradicated 4.1 million accounts while YouTube removed around 600,000 accounts.
The Communications and Digital Minister of Indonesia, Meutya Hafid, said to Reuters, ‘we’re not just delaying a child’s access, but we want behaviours from platforms to change too.’ The Minister also said that the ministry is reviewing self-assessment reports submitted by the social media companies. The account removals on both platforms follow a regulation brought by Indonesia in March that requires social media companies operating platforms considered ‘high risk’ to deactivate accounts belonging to children younger than 16. The rule is applicable to platforms like YouTube, X, Instagram, Roblox and TikTok.
The regulation imposes responsibility for enforcing the age restriction on the platforms instead of just putting it on parents or schools. Furthermore, companies are also expected to identify and deactivate accounts that belong to users below the minimum age mark. Indonesia said that these restrictions are intended to minimise the risks associated with excessive social media use among children, including cyberbullying and online addiction. With this move, the country joins the league of governments that are taking strict steps related to curbing social media use amongst children.