Indonesia has begun rolling out a policy restricting internet access for children under 16. Similar measures have already been introduced or proposed in several countries. Australia and Brazil have adopted restrictions on children’s access to social media, while similar policies are being discussed in parts of Europe and Asia, including Indonesia.
Hosea Immanuel Latumahina, a researcher at the Center for Digital Society (CfDS) UGM, said that, in practice, no country has yet effectively implemented a policy specifically restricting social media access for children under 16, apart from proposals that remain under development in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Drawing on research conducted by Latumahina and the CfDS team, he explained that these policy initiatives have emerged because digital technology and social media have become deeply embedded in children’s daily lives. Their primary motivation is to address the harmful impacts of internet use.
“The rationale for these policies stems from the harmful effects of digital technology and social media on children under the age of 16, including the commodification and monetization of data, as well as the leakage and misuse of personal data,” he said on Thursday (July 16).
Other concerns include cyberbullying, online harassment, exposure to soft pornography, digital addiction, and declining cognitive ability. Although several countries share similar concerns, their policy approaches differ. Australia, for example, focuses on minimizing the harmful effects of social media rather than imposing an outright ban. At the same time, Vietnam and China concentrate on limiting the amount of time children spend on online games.
Latumahina noted that Indonesia’s approach is distinctive because it combines several policy objectives adopted elsewhere. It seeks simultaneously to restrict access, reduce potential harms, and prevent online risks—a combination that makes the policy highly complex and potentially vulnerable to overregulation.
“Indonesia’s policy must ensure proportionality and consistency in its implementation,” he emphasized.
He also questioned whether the policy risks becoming overly reactive, noting that governments sometimes introduce measures simply because other countries have done so.
“We also question the primary rationale behind this policy. Do comparisons with other countries drive it? That is concerning if this policy is merely reactive,” he said.
According to Latumahina, Indonesia should carefully assess whether such a policy is genuinely needed within its own context. Problems associated with internet use—including data breaches, cyberbullying, and online harassment—affect not only children but also teenagers and adults.
Because implementation is still in its early stages and currently relies primarily on platform-led self-risk assessments, he said it is too early to evaluate the policy’s effectiveness. In his view, success should not be measured solely by how effectively children are prevented from creating social media accounts, but by how well the policy balances children’s right to protection with their rights to access information, participate, and express themselves online, as outlined in General Comment No. 25 of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Latumahina acknowledged that the policy could benefit both children and the digital industry. It could encourage platforms to comply with regulations while developing more child-friendly features, including privacy settings, parental controls, and reliable age-verification systems.
For children, he said, effective implementation combined with stronger digital literacy education could reduce exposure to cybercrime while improving cognitive development and social skills. Nevertheless, he cautioned that the policy could also produce unintended consequences. It may limit children’s rights to participate and access information online, push them toward alternative platforms with weaker security measures, and encourage attempts to circumvent age-verification systems.
“Such practices could reduce both the credibility and effectiveness of age verification mechanisms,” he explained.
In closing, Latumahina stressed that creating a safer digital environment requires more than restrictions alone. Governments, industry, parents, and educators all have important roles to play. He also called for stronger digital literacy and digital ethics education in schools alongside the development of child-centered digital platforms equipped with privacy protections, parental consent mechanisms, and age assurance by design.
“Without this education, restrictions will merely postpone the risks until children reach the age of 16,” he concluded.
Author: Fatihah Salwa Rasyid
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-Editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photo: Magnific