YouTube, TikTok in talks with Indonesian government over child social media block

TikTok and YouTube partners to manage child social media accounts.

The world's leading video and short video platforms are in discussions with Indonesia's government about its plan to block social media access for children under 16 starting later this month, company ‌officials said on Monday.

Indonesia will require platforms to deactivate "high-risk" social media accounts for those under 16, according to a new ministerial regulation distributed on Monday, March 9.

Moreover, Roblox, Instagram, Google's YouTube, and TikTok were among platforms identified by the Communications and Digital Ministry last week as being high risk.

YouTube said it was reviewing the new regulation to ensure it empowers parents and preserves access to learning for millions of Indonesians. "We will continue to engage constructively with the government and remain committed to protecting youth in the digital world, not from it," a spokesperson said.

TikTok was "engaging with the ministry to better understand the provisions" in the new regulation, ‌a spokesperson said, adding teen accounts on TikTok have more than 50 preset safety, privacy, and security features.

The deactivation would take effect on March 28, said Meutya Hafid, Indonesia's communications and digital minister.

In a response on Friday, prior to the release of the regulation, Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said, "Governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites or logged-out experiences that bypass important protections," adding there were default safeguards for Instagram and Facebook teen accounts.

A number of governments, including Australia's, have imposed curbs on social media for children amid mounting concerns over safety and mental health among users who are minors.