Indonesia Starts First Southeast Asia Social Media Ban for Kids

Indonesia began enforcing restrictions on social media accounts for children under 16 on Saturday, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt nationwide curbs as governments worldwide take a tougher approach to limit harmful online content.

The policy, influenced by Australia’s landmark curbs, marks one of the most aggressive efforts yet to police how minors use digital platforms in the world’s fourth-most populous nation. There has been mounting alarm over cyberbullying, pornography, online fraud and compulsive screen use in a country where social media has become deeply embedded in daily life and where about 70 million people are under the age of 16.