February 14, 2025
JAKARTA – Several tech companies have expressed their commitment to working with the Indonesian government in creating a safe digital environment for children, following the plan to impose age restrictions on social media platforms to follow in the footsteps of Australia.
The initiative from President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has been welcomed by lawmakers because of numerous studies revealing the adverse impacts of social media use on the younger generation.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported that over 5 million pieces of child pornography content have been found in Indonesia since 2020. It also ranks fourth in access to pornographic material globally, only after India, the Philippines and Bangladesh.
Furthermore, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported at least 80,000 children under 10 years old were exposed to online gambling in the country.
In her visit to the Google Office in Paris, France, on Monday, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid asked the technology company to support the Indonesian government’s efforts to safeguard children online.
“The government will implement stricter regulations to protect children from exposure to dangerous content such as child pornography and online gambling,” Meutya said in a statement released on Tuesday, hoping to collaborate with Google to achieve the objective.
Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, Leslie Miller, said the company would assist the initiative to better protect children, further citing Indonesia as the company’s major market. Data from Statista shows Google dominates the search engine market in the country, with 95.16 percent market share as of January 2024.
“We are ready to cooperate with the Indonesian government to ensure that our platform is safer for all users, especially children,” she said.
The meeting took place as the communications ministry drafts an interim guideline on child online protection, which will include sanctions for technology companies that allow underage users to access their social media platforms. The regulation was expected to be completed in the next two months.
In a press conference on Thursday, TikTok Indonesia head of communications Anggini Setiawan said that the company is still waiting for the regulation, assuring that TikTok supports the idea of protecting minors online.
“There are thousands of dedicated security professionals at TikTok who spend their time keeping users safe by utilizing our technological innovations. User safety will always be our top priority. For now, while the regulations are being drafted, we stand ready to continue working with stakeholders and relevant ministries,” Anggini said.
According to the platform’s website, it is mandatory for the users to be at least 14 years old, a policy that is unique only to Indonesia, Canada’s Quebec and South Korea, while the general policy stands at 13 years old. Nevertheless, this policy might need new adjustments since the Indonesian government is aiming for tighter regulation.
When asked whether there would be any policy adjustment from TikTok once the government passes the regulation, Anggini said “we have to know precisely what [the regulation] will be.”
Anggini said that TikTok, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, has been promoting the “family pairing” feature, allowing parents to have access to their children’s accounts, including for time management and privacy purposes.
She also mentioned that there have been age-specific policies which hinder certain age groups from having access to features like live streaming and video duet.
In 2024, the company’s Indonesian team visited at least six high schools across Greater Jakarta to campaign for teen safety. Anggini added that her team aimed to reach more schools through collaboration with a Jakarta-based foundation. It also collaborated with a non-profit organization to educate parents about online safety in several regions in Indonesia.
Speaking at the same event, a communications ministry official, Hastuti Wulanningrum, said they are still working on the regulation and are open to any collaboration with social media platforms.
“The limitation should be very strict not only for TikTok but also other platforms,” Hastuti said.
A survey published by YouGov on Tuesday showed the initiative came with overwhelming public support.
The global public opinion and data company revealed that 84 percent of Indonesian parents with at least one child under 18 backed the proposal, with women favoring it slightly greater than men, citing exposure to inappropriate content as the main reason.
This week, Meta’s Instagram just launched its “Teen Accounts” version for Asia-Pacific users, seemingly addressing rising pressure from governments in the region. (gmb)