Indonesia bans social media for under 16, first in Asia
Indonesia's ban on social media for children under 16 took effect Saturday, barring them from creating and holding accounts on online platforms in an effort to protect minors from cyberbullying, digital addiction and pornography, Kyodo reports.
Indonesia is the first Asian country to introduce such a ban, imposed on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X.
A teachers' association welcomed the age restriction, saying it would help prevent digital addiction, but human rights organization Amnesty International has expressed concern over young people losing a way to express themselves.
"With this blanket ban, it will be increasingly difficult for children to express their views on government policies that directly impact their human rights," Usman Hamid, executive director of the Indonesian branch of Amnesty, said.
Others expressed concern over the loss of income for younger content creators whose earnings can be a key part of their families' household finances.
For 14-year-old Charissa Putri Chandra Kirana, an Instagram and Facebook content creator with up to 800,000 followers, social media has been a way of earning money for her family after her mother became unable to work due to back pain.
"I hope the government will change its mind, because many children who work as content creators like me depend on its decision," she said.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a Los Angeles County jury found Meta Platforms and YouTube liable for causing harm to a user in the first trial addressing social media addiction.