Rome, May 6 (askanews) – The Indonesian government is considering banning e-commerce for minors under 16. In March, the country, following Australia's lead, imposed a ban on social media for those under 16, with the aim of protecting children and young people from cyberbullying, online pornography, and internet addiction. The rule initially targeted eight platforms deemed "high-risk": YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
But Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, interviewed by France Presse, declared her intention to extend it: "PP Tunas (the name of the regulation) will apply to all digital platforms. The eight we chose first were actually those we considered most ready to comply with the rules." The minister, the mother of a three-year-old child, said the spirit of the regulation is to help parents deal with "large platforms" to ensure their children's well-being. "Leaving them to do it alone without creating rules that make things easier is like letting parents play chess against a grandmaster.
They won't win, or it will be very difficult to win,” he said. The goal is to impose the rule on all platforms, including e-commerce platforms for purchases of all kinds. “It will be a success if it truly impacts one, two, three, or hopefully tens of millions of Indonesian children,” he concluded. Indonesia, with a population of over 284 million, boasts among the highest numbers of social media users in the world, and the recently implemented ban affects approximately 70 million children under 16.
Notizie.it editorial team