JAKARTA: Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said Friday.
Hafid in a statement to media said that she just signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
The implementation will start gradually from March 28, until all platforms fulfill their compliance obligations.
“The basis is clear. Our children face increasingly real threats. From exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly addiction. The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giant of algorithms.” Hafid said.
She added that the government is taking this step as the best effort in the midst of a digital emergency to reclaim sovereignty over children’s futures.
“We realize that the implementation of this regulation may cause some discomfort at first. Children may complain and parents may be confused about how to respond to their children’s complaints,” Hafid said.
Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs conducted a surprise inspection of Meta Platforms’ Jakarta office over concerns about the handling of harmful content on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The ministry in a statement said that through this inspection, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology issued a stern warning regarding Meta’s low level of compliance with national regulations.
The Associated Press has sent email requests for comment to TikTok and Meta, but has not yet received a response.
Indonesia will be the first country in Southeast Asia to restrict the access of children to social media.
The restriction of social media access for teens began in Australia in December 2025. Social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia.
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Indonesia to ban social media for children under 16, communication minister says
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Indonesia to ban social media for children under 16, communication minister says
- Indonesia will be the first country in Southeast Asia to restrict the access of children to social media
Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries: police
OSLO, Norway: Norwegian police reported on Sunday an explosion at the US embassy in the capital Oslo, but said there were no casualties.
The explosion occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT), the Oslo police department said in a statement, adding they did not know the cause of the blast.
Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Dellemyr saying the blast hit the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.
“At around 1:00 am we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterward and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy,” he told NRK.
“There is minor damage,” he said.
“We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion” because “it is very early in the investigation,” he said.
The police statement said investigators were in contact with the embassy about the incident and there was a huge police deployment on site.
Residents near the embassy said they heard a loud blast.
A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast.
“My mother and I first thought it came from our house so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,” he said.
“There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air,” he said.
US embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over American military operations in Iran and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets.
But police gave no indication the incident near the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict.
The explosion occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT), the Oslo police department said in a statement, adding they did not know the cause of the blast.
Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Dellemyr saying the blast hit the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.
“At around 1:00 am we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterward and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy,” he told NRK.
“There is minor damage,” he said.
“We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion” because “it is very early in the investigation,” he said.
The police statement said investigators were in contact with the embassy about the incident and there was a huge police deployment on site.
Residents near the embassy said they heard a loud blast.
A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast.
“My mother and I first thought it came from our house so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,” he said.
“There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air,” he said.
US embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over American military operations in Iran and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets.
But police gave no indication the incident near the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict.
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