Indonesia pushes stricter age‑verification as children falsify ages to use social media

Vice Minister Nezar Patria said a government survey found three of five children in Indonesia falsify their age to maintain access to social‑media platforms. The practice hampers implementation of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on electronic system governance for child protection (PP TUNAS).

The ministry has asked platforms to strengthen age‑identification technologies while respecting data‑privacy rules, and several services are already using algorithms to detect under‑age usage and limit exposure to unsuitable content. Parents are urged to use “parental‑guidance” or companion accounts. Indonesia is the first Southeast Asian nation with PP TUNAS; Australia already has a similar framework and Malaysia is preparing comparable measures.