JAKARTA: Indonesia's government is mulling an e-commerce ban for under-16s, the communications minister told AFP Wednesday, hot on the heels of Jakarta imposing a sweeping social media prohibition for teens.
"E-commerce (platforms) are next, because we found children who became scam victims through e-commerce," Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said in an interview in Jakarta, without providing further details.
In March, app-addicted Indonesia started enforcing a social media ban for under-16s in a bid to shield some 70 million children from the threats of online pornography, cyberbullying, and internet addiction.
The policy followed Australia's landmark move in December to stop teenagers from holding accounts on many popular platforms.
The Indonesian regulation initially targeted eight "high risk" platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
But it will eventually apply to "all digital platforms", Meutya said Wednesday, including online shopping sites.
The Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 284 million people boasts one of the highest concentrations of social media users in the world.
Meutya said the government aimed to help parents take on the "big platforms" to protect their children.
"Letting them face off against (the platforms) alone, without rules, is like letting parents play chess against a grandmaster. They won't win, or it will be very hard to win," Meutya told AFP.
Global reckoning
Roblox became the latest platform to comply with the new regulations, introducing age verification technology and restricting content based on users' age, the government said last week.
More than half of Roblox's 45 million Indonesian users are children under 16, the government said.
Social media giants are facing a global reckoning as governments increasingly worry about their impact on users' well-being.
The Turkish parliament last month approved a law to prevent children under 15 from accessing social media platforms.
Some European countries, including Norway, Greece, France, Spain, and Denmark, have said they will introduce similar restrictions.
Like in Australia, the Indonesian rules place the onus on platforms to regulate teen access.
Non-compliance with the ban, which will be phased in over time, will put defaulters at risk of a fine or even suspension of their services in the country.
