TikTok, YouTube deactivate 4.7 million child accounts in Indonesia following government curbs

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Social media companies TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a total of around 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 in Indonesia, the country’s communications minister said, as its social media curbs began to take effect.

TikTok, developed by Chinese technology company ByteDance, has deactivated 4.1 million accounts, while Alphabet’s Google’s video platform YouTube has deactivated 600,000 accounts, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said late on Thursday, June 25, adding that the ministry wanted others to follow.

Neither company responded immediately to a request for comment.

In March, Indonesia issued a regulation which requires social media companies with platforms it deems high risk to deactivate accounts belonging to children under 16, which have so far included X, Meta’s Instagram, and videogame platform Roblox.

“We’re not just delaying a child’s access, but we want behaviors from platforms to change, too,” Meutya said on Thursday, adding that the ministry is currently checking self-assessment reports by the companies.

Indonesia’s curbs, which the government says are intended to reduce the risk of cyberbullying and addiction, follow a ban in Australia last year over concerns about the potential harm social media posesto the mental health of young people.

Australia’s groundbreaking experiment is being closely watched, with countries around the world seeking to emulate it ​amid concerns about the mental and physical health of minors.

Britain announced this month that it planned wider restrictions that include gaming and live-streaming platforms. – Rappler.com