TikTok removes underage accounts after Indonesian government push
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TikTok had deactivated around 780,000 accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 as at April 10.
PHOTO: EPA
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JAKARTA – Social media platforms considered high-risk for children are beginning to comply with Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry’s new child protection rules, with TikTok among the latest to fall in line.
Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said that the video-based social media platform has enforced a minimum user age of 16, in line with the government’s Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation (PP Tunas).
She further revealed that TikTok had deactivated around 780,000 accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 as at April 10, making it “the first platform” to report measurable enforcement under the regulation.
“We hope other platforms will follow and immediately report the number of (underage) accounts they have handled or taken down,” Ms Meutya said on April 14 during a briefing, as quoted from the ministry’s official YouTube channel.
TikTok is the latest “high-risk” platform to comply since the regulation’s technical guidelines took effect on March 28, joining X, Bigo Live, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
The minister said video-sharing platform YouTube and gaming platform Roblox remain the only high-risk platforms yet to fully comply.
The ministry previously classified eight major platforms as “high risks” for users under the age of 16, citing exposure to online harms such as pornography, gambling and addiction.
Roblox has introduced new age-based account systems, including Roblox Kids for users aged five to 12 and Roblox Select for those aged 13 to 15, as part of its compliance efforts.
The update, set for roll-out in June, will tailor content access, communication settings and the games themselves to better match under-16 Indonesian users, who also need parental consent to play the platform’s games.
“Roblox continues to work closely with the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry to create a positive online space for its community in Indonesia to learn, create and have fun,” the company said in a statement on April 14.
However, Ms Meutya said that the measures were still insufficient to meet the regulation’s requirements.
“Even though they’ve made a few adjustments, we have yet to receive a proposal from Roblox declaring compliance with PP Tunas,” Ms Meutya said in the briefing on April 14, adding that the ministry is also awaiting YouTube’s commitment.
The government last week issued a warning to tech giant Google, YouTube’s parent company, for failing to comply with the regulation.
Google has previously opposed the blanket restriction, arguing that YouTube already offers parental supervision tools, including screen time limits, age verification and content filters.
Google has not responded to The Jakarta Post’s recent request for comment. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
