Indonesia urges Meta to accelerate under-16 account deactivation

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Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid has called on US tech giant Meta to accelerate the deactivation of underage accounts across its social media platforms.

In a statement issued on Friday (September 25), Hafid emphasized Meta’s obligation to comply with Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic System Operations for Child Protection (PP TUNAS), which aims to protect children in the digital environment.

“We expect Meta to formulate a clear acceleration plan for the implementation of PP TUNAS, particularly regarding the restriction and deactivation of accounts belonging to users under 16 on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, with a concrete timeline,” she said.

Hafid made the remarks following a meeting in New York on Wednesday (September 23) with Meta Vice President and Global Head of Public Policy Kevin J. Martin and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis.

“Given Meta’s massive scale and influence in Indonesia, there comes a much greater responsibility. We demand stricter age controls, safer product designs, consistent enforcement, and measurable periodic reporting to the government to ensure real protection for children,” she said.

The Indonesian government has acknowledged Meta’s initial efforts to align its services with the country’s digital regulations.

According to a recent company report, Meta deactivated 184,000 accounts belonging to users under the age of 13 between March and May 2026. The figure comprised 85,000 Instagram accounts and 99,000 Facebook accounts.

Beyond child safety, Hafid highlighted the need for technology companies to respond swiftly to content that violates Indonesian law, including illegal online gambling, pornography, hate speech, and disinformation.

“Platforms must take decisive action against content that violates the law or triggers public unrest. Meta must be more proactive in reviewing and flagging problematic content, rather than solely relying on the government to terminate access,” Hafid said.

Hafid reiterated that all global digital platforms operating in Southeast Asia’s largest economy must comply with Indonesian regulations. She said the government would not hesitate to impose strict administrative sanctions, including the termination of access, on platforms that fail to comply with the law.

Related news: Indonesia, Meta launch team to combat online gambling spam

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Translator: Farhan Nugraha, Uyu Liman
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2026

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