JAKARTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Indonesia will introduce temporary child protection guidelines for social media companies while developing legislation to establish a minimum age requirement for platform users, a senior official from the communications ministry stated on Wednesday.
Communications minister Meutya Hafid announced on Monday that the government intended to implement a regulation to determine a minimum age, following discussions with President Prabowo Subianto regarding the proposal for safeguarding children's online activities.
This move comes after Australia's decision to ban children under 16 from using social media, imposing fines on tech giants like Instagram and Facebook's Meta, and TikTok's parent company, ByteDance from China, for failing to prevent underage individuals from accessing their platforms.
Alexander Sabar, a senior official at the communications and digital ministry, clarified to Reuters, "What the minister means is that the government is progressing towards more stringent regulations on age limits, specifically through legislation."
Meanwhile, the government will establish guidelines for digital platforms, such as social media companies, to follow in terms of child protection, though specific details were not provided.
"The primary focus of the government's regulation is child protection – ensuring safeguards against physical, mental, or moral risks," he stated, noting that the regulation would not entirely restrict children's access to social media.
Requests for comments from Meta and TikTok went unanswered.
Nurmayanti, a 46-year-old mother of three, expressed support for restricting social media content, especially materials promoting pornography or discrimination. "They now can freely open social media so that is concerning to us as parents," she said, advocating for strict and clear laws.
Conversely, Anis Hidayah, a commissioner at Indonesia's top human rights body, stressed the importance of limiting internet access for children while cautioning the government against infringing upon their right to information.
A survey conducted by the Indonesia internet service providers' association revealed that nearly 50% of tech-savvy Indonesian children under 12 use the internet, with some in that age group utilizing Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.