Indonesia’s decision to ban social media for children under 16 has left teen influencer Charissa Putri Chandra Kirana heartbroken.
“How could the government do this?” the 14-year-old said, visibly emotional.
“Kids don’t always inherit success from [their] parents, some of us must start from the bottom.”
Charissa, who has 800,000 Instagram followers, built her social media presence by posting content criticising Indonesian government programs and speaking up for children’s rights and safety.
Skincare companies and restaurants pay her to post content to promote their products and services.
Eva Rosalina, who raised Charissa as a single mum, said her daughter could make about 35 million rupiah ($2,936) per month, which went towards her and her sister’s school fees and her medical treatment.
Ms Rosalina said it took Charissa several years to find her footing as a content creator.
“My daughter was very upset about this regulation,” she said.
‘Some concerns raised’ Indonesia will be the first country in South-East Asia to restrict social media access for children under 16, following Australia’s world-first ban.
However, Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid has indicated that Indonesia’s ban would affect a huge number of young people.
“Australia has 5.7 million children, while we have 70 million children aged 16 and under,” she said in a post on X this month.
Indonesian children under 16 will not be allowed accounts on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, YouTube, X, Bigo Live and Roblox, and the government might add more platforms.
“Our children face increasingly real threats. From exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly, addiction,” Ms Hafid said.
“The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm.”
But concerns have been raised in Indonesia about the ban, including from Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti.
“The challenge lies in the technical implementation, particularly ensuring that they [children] don’t falsify their personal identities when creating social media accounts,” Mr Mu’ti told local media in early March.
Birgitta Puspita, a communications lecturer from Indonesia currently undertaking a PhD at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, echoed the minister’s concern.
“How will you detect these [fake] accounts with a population this large?” she said.
‘Positive outlook’ While some young Indonesians do not support the ban, Ailova Fimayoki has welcomed it.
With her parents limiting her screen time on Instagram and YouTube to 30 minutes each per day, Ailova spends most of her time reading and writing and only uses WhatsApp to message friends.
She said she never felt left out by her friends.
“There’s really nothing on social media that will make you miss out if you don’t have it,” she said.
“Hopefully, this regulation helps children become more aware that not having social media isn’t a bad thing; it can actually be a good thing.”
Companies ‘engaging’ with the government Social media companies in Indonesia have started to respond to the ban, with X raising its minimum user age to 16 to comply with the new rules.
X will also identify and deactivate accounts of individuals who are not at least 16 years old on March 28, according to a government official.
In a statement to the ABC, a TikTok spokesperson said the company was “engaging” with the government to understand the legislation.
“We remain committed to working with the Indonesian government to ensure teens can continue to access safe online spaces,” they said.
A Meta spokesperson told ABC they “want safe and positive online experiences for young people and believe parents should decide which apps their teens use”.
“Governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites, or logged-out experiences that bypass important protections,” the spokesperson said.
YouTube said it was reviewing the new regulation to ensure it empowered parents â and preserved access to learning for millions of Indonesians, according to Reuters.
Commenting on the upcoming ban, streaming platform Bigo Live told local media they “regularly and proactively coordinate with relevant local authorities, including sharing data and the latest information regarding feature development and moderation efforts.”
‘No genuine consultation’ Several Asian countries have already followed or are planning to follow Australia’s footsteps.
In India, Karnataka state banned social media for under-16s on March 6.
Malaysia is planning to implement the ban later this year, while the Philippines government introduced a bill proposing a ban this month.
Singapore and England are also considering mandating age limits.
Amelia Johns, associate professor of digital and social media at the University of Technology Sydney, said countries looking to implement the ban should consult young people earlier in the process.
“The Australian social media ban for young people under 16 was widely seen to be rushed, with no genuine consultation with young people and youth experts regarding the problem it was supposed to solve, or the likely effects of such a blunt policy,” she told ABC.
“Social media can literally be a lifeline for marginalised young people, such as young people with disability or mental health issues, LGBTQ+ youth, or newly arrived migrant youth,” she said.
