JAKARTA – Indonesian government officials have called in representatives from tech giants Meta and Google following their failure to follow new social media regulations designed to protect children, according to a statement released Tuesday by the country’s Communications and Digital Minister.
The Southeast Asian nation implemented comprehensive rules last week requiring social media companies to shut down accounts belonging to users under age 16 on platforms classified as high-risk for young people.
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid described Meta and Google as “two business entities that are non-compliant with the law” during a video announcement. She confirmed that officials from both companies were called in Monday to “undergo checks” regarding their adherence to the new youth protection measures.
According to Hafid, both technology companies have resisted the protective measures since they were first proposed. The minister warned that platforms refusing to implement the required safeguards could face penalties or complete blocking within Indonesia.
Neither Google nor Meta provided immediate responses when contacted for comment Tuesday. However, both corporations stated last week that they had established protective measures for younger users on their platforms.
The Indonesian government has also issued warnings to two additional platforms – gaming platform Roblox and TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Hafid indicated that these companies must achieve full compliance or risk facing similar summons. Representatives from TikTok and Roblox have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The protective regulations aim to shield young people from cyberbullying incidents and social media addiction, according to Indonesian officials. These measures follow similar action taken by Australia last year, where lawmakers banned certain social media access due to concerns about negative impacts on young people’s mental health.
Indonesian authorities classify platforms as high-risk based on several factors, including opportunities for users to communicate with strangers, addictive features, and potential psychological dangers.
Recent data from the Indonesia Internet Service Providers Association shows that internet usage has reached 80.66% of the population in 2025. Among “Gen Z” users between ages 13 and 28, internet penetration climbs to 87.8%.
Minister Hafid noted that approximately 70 million children under 16 currently live in Indonesia, highlighting the scope of the new protective measures.
