Indonesia will block minors under 16 from creating social media accounts, becoming the second country to adopt such restrictions after Australia.
Meutya Hafid, Indonesia's Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, signed government regulations on Jan. 6 banning account creation for those under 16 on high-risk digital platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and Roblox, according to AP, AFP and Reuters. The rules take effect gradually starting Jan. 28.
"Children face various dangers ranging from pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly, addiction," Hafid said. "The government is here to help parents so they no longer have to fight alone against the giant entity called the algorithm."
"I know there may be some inconvenience in the early stages of implementing this regulation," she added. "We are taking this measure to reclaim sovereignty over our children's future. We want technology to make humans more human, not to sacrifice children's childhood."
Indonesia follows Australia, which became the first country to block social media accounts for those under 16 in December last year.
Parents in Indonesia welcomed the regulation. Jakarta resident Mariana told AP: "It's very worrying for minors, especially children, because too much freedom has been given to everything—photos, videos. Social media needs to be properly managed once again."
Indonesia previously became the first country to block xAI's chatbot Grok in January after Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company generated and distributed explicit deepfake images and videos using real people's faces. The block was lifted after xAI promised improvements.
Australia Extends Minor Protection to AI Chatbots
Australia, the pioneer in youth social media regulation, is expanding protections for minors across all online platforms.
Julie Inman Grant, commissioner of Australia's online safety agency eSafety, announced measures taking effect Jan. 9 requiring all online services—including websites, search engines, app stores, games and AI chatbots—to block minors' access to inappropriate content such as pornography.
Services must prevent users under 18 from accessing sexually explicit content, violent content, and harmful content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. For example, searches for suicide or self-harm-related terms will display mental health support services at the top of results.
Violations carry fines up to A$49.5 million (approximately 51.6 billion won). Users must also complete age verification procedures to access age-restricted content. eSafety said simply clicking an "18 and over" button is insufficient.
"We don't allow children into bars, liquor stores, adult shops or casinos, but there are no such safeguards in the online spaces where children spend much of their time," Inman Grant said. "This regulation establishes meaningful protections for children across the entire technology ecosystem."
South Korea Opts for Consultation Over Outright Ban
South Korea has not yet moved toward a complete social media ban. The government is exploring policy directions by listening directly to young people.
"The social media problem for children and adolescents cannot be solved through one-sided regulation," said Kim Jong-cheol, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission. "Policies must be designed based on actual users' experiences."
However, discussions continue given high social media usage rates among Korean youth. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, 67.6% of adolescents used social media last year. Notably, 40.1% of those aged 10-19 fall into the at-risk group for smartphone overdependence.
The Korea Press Foundation's "2025 Teenage Media Usage Survey" found 70.1% of Korean adolescents use social media. Of these, nearly half—48.8%—access social media daily.
"As research accumulates showing adolescent social media use is linked to reduced concentration, sleep disorders, addiction, anxiety and depression, concerns are growing about the impact of digital environments on youth mental health and development," said Lee Sook-jung, professor at Chung-Ang University's School of Media and Communication.