Published on 6/27/2026
Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Meutia Hafid, said that the social media applications TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a total of about 4.7 million accounts for children under the age of 16 in the country, with the entry into force of restrictions on the use of social media.
The minister added that the Tik Tok application Developed by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, it disabled 4.1 million accounts, while YouTube, which is affiliated with Google, owned by Alphabet Group, disabled 600,000 accounts, and indicated that the ministry wants other companies to follow suit.
In March, Indonesia issued a regulation requiring social media companies that own platforms deemed high-risk by Indonesia to disable the accounts of children under the age of 16, which so far includes the X app, Meta’s Instagram, and the video game platform Roblox.
“We are not only working to delay children’s access to these platforms, but we also want to change the behaviors of the platforms themselves,” Meutia said late Thursday, adding that the ministry is currently reviewing self-evaluation reports submitted by the companies.
The Indonesian restrictions, which the government says are aimed at reducing the risks of cyberbullying and addiction, follow a ban imposed by Australia last year due to concerns about the potential harm that social media poses to the mental health of young people.
The pioneering Australian experiment is being closely monitored, as countries around the world seek to emulate it, and Britain announced this month that it plans to impose broader restrictions that include gaming and live broadcast platforms.
Earlier this month, the UAE became the first Arab country to restrict the use of social media for those under the age of 15. It has become prohibited for children under this age to create, use or manage their personal accounts on social media sites. It also imposed strict restrictions and parental supervision for teenagers aged 15 and 16 years.
As for the Roblox platform, it is facing a widespread restriction campaign in many countries around the world, as the platform witnessed a comprehensive ban or major restriction of chat and communication features within the game in several Arab countries after escalating concerns related to digital safety.
The countries of Qatar, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine completely banned the platform on their territories, while Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Jordan imposed strict restrictions that forced Roblox to temporarily or permanently cancel the comments and chat features in Arabic to protect minors.
