Indonesia on Saturday introduced a social media ban for children under the age of 16, following Australia's lead in protecting young people from potential online harms.

The measure takes effect as US tech giants face mounting scrutiny over youth safety and comes in the same week that Facebook owner Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay millions of dollars in a US lawsuit for designing addictive products that caused harm to young people.

What are Indonesia's new social media rules for children?

The government first announced the ban earlier this month, saying it was taking action to prevent young people from online pornography, scams, cyberbullying and internet addiction.

In a first for Southeast Asia, children will be blocked from having accounts on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox, which the country has labeled as high risk.

The regulation applies to around 70 million under-16s, the government said, who make up 25% of Indonesia's 280 million population.

Enforcement and account deactivation are expected to happen gradually.

Communications minister Meutya Hafid told a news conference on Friday that X and Bigo Live have fully complied and called on other digital platforms to "immediately align their products, features and services" to the new minimum age rules.

Hafid said there was "no room for compromise regarding compliance."

The government plans to levy fines on platforms that don't comply and has not ruled out a nationwide ban.

Several platforms released statements saying they would adhere to the new measure.

Campaigners hail social media ban

Diena Haryana, founder of a Jakarta-based non-profit that works on online safety, welcomed the measure, telling the Associated Press that studies suggest children's use of social media can impact their mental health.

"[Children] need to learn to use this digital technology at the right time, at the right age, and with the right guidance,” she said, adding that parents and schools "need to encourage children to engage with the real world and make it fun for them."

Other experts, however, remain skeptical about implementation, warning that children will be able to bypass the curbs through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

Trailblazer Australia inspires others

In December, Australia became the first country in the world to restrict social media access for under-16s. Since then, platforms have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.

Some other countries, including Germany, Spain, France and Malaysia, are taking or considering similar measures.

This week, the United Kingdom's upper house of parliament voted in favor of banning children from social media, in a move to pressure the government of Prime Minister Kier Starmer to follow suit.

Other countries have introduced measures like age verification, parental consent, or partial curbs rather than outright bans.

US tech giants face 'addiction' lawsuits

In another significant step, a US jury this week found Facebook's owner Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products that caused harm to young people.

The companies were ordered to pay a combined $6 million (€5.2 billion) in damages to a now 20-year-old woman, who claimed her depression and suicidal ideation were worsened by scrolling and recommendations from algorithms.

The verdict is seen as a bellwether for hundreds of similar lawsuits.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko