RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta: The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister Arifah Fauzi promoted regulations restricting social media use for children under 16, in line with the Ministry of Communications and Digital’s policy on child protection in the digital space.

Minister Arifah said the majority of the public supports the regulation, although some children expressed unease about the policy. “I also promoted the Minister of Communications and Digital’s regulation that children under 16 are not allowed to have social media accounts. Almost everyone I interviewed agreed, except the children,” she said during an interview at Gambir Station, Jakarta, Monday, March 16, 2026.

She emphasized that the regulation is important to protect children from risks in the digital space and stressed the need for widespread public awareness to ensure the purpose of the policy is understood.

“This policy is crucial for protecting children from various risks in today’s increasingly complex digital space. Therefore, widespread public awareness is needed to ensure the public understands the purpose of the regulation restricting social media accounts for children,” she said.

Arifah noted that the public response has been positive. Based on conversations with travelers at the station, most parents supported restricting social media use for children under 16. “Earlier, we also conducted outreach about restricting social media account use for children under 16. From what I’ve gathered, parents support the decision,” she said.

The government previously issued a ministerial regulation, the Minister of Communication and Digital Regulation No. 9/2026, on child protection in the digital space. This regulation stems from Government Regulation No. 17/2025 on Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection for digital platforms.

“Through this regulation, the government is suspending account access for children under 16 on high-risk digital platforms, including social media and networking services,” said Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid. (Misni Parjiati/Lasti Martina)