Indonesia blocked children under the age of 16 from having accounts on designated digital platforms on March 28. Following this action, TikTok and YouTube have deactivated approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to Indonesian children.

TikTok deactivated 4.1 million accounts of Indonesian children since the ban's imposition, while YouTube deactivated around 600,000 accounts. The platforms restricted under the new rule include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

Indonesian Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid discussed the intentions behind the government's action. Hafid stated, "We're not just delaying a child's access, but we want behaviors from platforms to change, too." She added that the government aims to support parents, saying, "The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giant of algorithms."

A Meta spokesperson commented on child safeguarding measures. The spokesperson said these measures "must be implemented carefully so they do not encourage teenagers to move to more dangerous and unmonitored sites, or to experiences without login that bypass important protections."

The ban in Indonesia occurred after Australia implemented similar social media restrictions for users under 16 in December, which resulted in more than 5 million accounts being removed, deactivated, or restricted. A study by researchers at the University of Newcastle found that more than 80 percent of under-16s in Australia reported still using social media three months after the legislation took effect. The study attributed continued usage to limited implementation, incomplete compliance, and substantial circumvention of restrictions. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "There are still too many children on social media." The Australian government announced it would double the penalty for breaches of the social media ban to A$99 million.