For 11-year-old Kalam, the weekends in Bekasi, West Java, have always been defined by a digital frontier. Between the hours spent racing cars and exploring adventure maps on Roblox, the sandbox platform has served as both a playground and a social club for him and his friends.
That world shifted on March 29, when a sweeping government mandate began restricting access to several of the most popular digital platforms for millions of young Indonesians. Under a new regulatory framework, Kalam and an estimated 70 million other citizens under the age of 16 are now barred from accounts on platforms deemed to pose high risks to child safety.
The restrictions, formalized under the regulation on child protection in digital space—known as PP Tunas—represent one of the most aggressive attempts by the Indonesian government to curate the online experience for minors. While the state frames the move as a necessary shield against digital harm, for children like Kalam, the impact is felt as a sudden loss of both joy and utility.
“If I can’t play Roblox anymore, I would sense a bit sad,” Kalam said, reflecting a sentiment shared by many of his peers who view these platforms not just as games, but as primary spaces for social interaction.
The collision of safety and scholarship
While the loss of entertainment is immediate, the long-term concern for many students is the disruption of their education. In an era where the Indonesia social media ban for children encompasses not just social networking but video-sharing sites, the classroom has effectively extended into the cloud.
Kalam, a fifth-grader, relies heavily on YouTube for learning references to supplement his schoolwork. With the platform now restricted, he is left wondering how he will access the visual aids and tutorials essential to his studies. “I don’t grasp,” he said when asked about his alternatives. “Maybe my teacher will have to send the videos through WhatsApp.”
For older students, the stakes are higher. Rasya, a 15-year-old junior high school student from Bekasi, uses a combination of YouTube and Instagram to master complex math tutorials and practice his English and Mandarin. He also utilizes these platforms to track down scholarship information, making the internet a critical tool for his future academic mobility.
“Nowadays, we all utilize phones and the internet to look for information,” Rasya said. “If it’s blocked it will be difficult for us to learn online.”
Beyond the academic void, Rasya expressed a deeper fear of social isolation. He and his classmates frequently used Roblox on weekends, utilizing the platform’s age-group chat policies to maintain their friendships. “If the game is blocked, I will feel lonely because I don’t know who to play with anymore,” he said.
A divide in the home
The government’s crackdown has highlighted a growing divide between children who view the internet as an essential utility and parents who see it as a source of volatility. For some, the PP Tunas regulation is a welcome intervention.
Diska Paramita, a 38-year-old homemaker and Rasya’s mother, supports the ban. Her support stems from observing a shift in her children’s behavior, which she attributes to the unmoderated nature of some online gaming environments. “After playing games, my children picked up inappropriate words and became more aggressive,” Paramita said, noting that she had encountered violent content and harsh language on Roblox.
To mitigate the void left by the digital ban, Paramita has pivoted toward physical activity, enrolling Rasya in a basketball club. However, she believes the government’s role should extend beyond prohibition. She argued that officials should provide more comprehensive guidance to parents and visit schools to educate families on the specific hazards of social media.
This tension between restriction and education is a central point of debate among experts. Firman Kurniawan, a digital communications expert from the University of Indonesia, warned that a blanket ban might be counterproductive. Kurniawan suggests that removing these platforms without providing a roadmap for safe use could push children toward even riskier, unmonitored alternatives.
“What is needed is regulation to introduce digital platforms to children at an appropriate age, so their use can be productive for educational purposes,” Kurniawan said.
Platform compliance and the ‘Teen Account’ shift
As the March 29 deadline passed, global tech giants have been forced to overhaul their operations within Indonesia to avoid legal repercussions from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. The response has varied from strict account deactivation to the introduction of “walled garden” experiences.
Meta has transitioned Indonesian teen accounts on Facebook and Instagram into a specialized “Teen Accounts” feature. According to Berni Moestafa, Meta’s head of public policy for Indonesia and the Philippines, this feature is designed to provide a low-risk experience by defaulting accounts to private, blocking messages from unknown users, and requiring parental consent for Instagram Live.
Other platforms have taken a more direct approach to the PP Tunas regulation. X stated it would prohibit users under 16, while TikTok committed to taking necessary steps to align with regulatory expectations. Google, which manages YouTube, stated it is reviewing the regulation to balance child safety with the goal of “preserving access to learning for millions of Indonesians.”
Summary of Platform Responses to PP Tunas
| Platform | Primary Compliance Strategy | Key Feature/Action |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (IG/FB) | Risk Reduction | Automatic “Teen Accounts” with private defaults |
| Roblox | Enhanced Controls | Additional content and communication filters |
| X | Strict Prohibition | Prohibition of users under 16 |
| Google (YouTube) | Regulatory Review | Balancing safety with educational access |
| TikTok | Regulatory Alignment | Safety-focused steps for teen users |
The road ahead for digital supervision
Despite the current restrictions, the landscape remains fluid. Alexander Sabar, the director general of digital space supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, had previously indicated that the list of restricted platforms is not static. In a statement on March 16, Sabar noted that the ministry may adjust the list of banned applications based on ongoing risk assessments.
For the 70 million children affected, the coming months will be a test of how they adapt to a more restricted digital environment. Whether they find success in physical substitutes, like Rasya’s basketball, or struggle with the loss of educational tools, the impact of PP Tunas will likely spark a broader national conversation about the balance between state protection and digital autonomy.
The next phase of implementation will involve the ministry’s review of how platforms have handled account deactivations and whether the “low-risk” features introduced by companies like Meta satisfy the safety requirements of the 2025 law.
We want to hear from you. Do you believe strict age bans are the best way to protect children online, or should the focus be on digital literacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
