Indonesia plans to introduce a regulation establishing a minimum age for social media users, a step intended to safeguard children, according to the country’s communications minister, reports Reuters.
This plan comes after Australia decided to ban children under 16 from using social media, imposing fines on companies like Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook) and TikTok if they don't stop kids from accessing their platforms.
Minister Meutya Hafid did not say what the minimum age would be in Indonesia. Her remarks, made late on Monday, came after Meutya discussed the plan with President Prabowo Subianto.
"We discussed how to protect children in digital space," she said in a video uploaded on the YouTube channel of the president's office.
"The president said to carry on with this plan. He is very supportive on how this kind of child protection will be done in our digital space," she said.
Internet access in Indonesia, a country of about 280 million people, reached 79.5% last year, according to a survey of 8,700 people by the Indonesia internet service providers' association.
The survey revealed that 48% of children under 12 had access to the internet, with some in that age group using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It also showed that internet access was 87% among "Gen Z" users, aged 12 to 27.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
