TikTok Pledges Compliance As Indonesia Enforces Under-16 Social Media Rules

JAKARTA, March 28 (Bernama) -- TikTok has pledged to comply with Indonesia’s new child protection regulation restricting social media access for users under 16, as it takes effect.

The regulation, introduced under the PP Tunas framework, a newly enacted rule on child protection in the digital space, requires platforms to implement tighter controls on users under 16.

In a statement, the company said this includes taking appropriate measures following a self-assessment process.

“TikTok is committed to complying with the regulation within the transitional period under PP Tunas, including taking appropriate measures related to under-16 accounts following the self-assessment process,” it said.

The platform said it will continue to engage constructively with Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs as part of the self-assessment process.

It added that users come to TikTok to learn new skills, find inspiration and be entertained, stressing that maintaining a safe environment, particularly for younger users, remains a top priority.

“All content uploaded to TikTok is moderated in accordance with our Community Guidelines. Of the content we remove for violating our rules, 99.1 per cent is proactively removed before it is reported,” it said.

TikTok said it uses technology to detect accounts that violate minimum age requirements and suspends those found to be non-compliant.

It added that teen accounts come with more than 50 preset safety, privacy and security features automatically enabled.

“As we move forward, we will take the necessary steps in line with regulatory expectations, while continuing to strengthen our safeguards and keep our Indonesian community informed as further guidance becomes available,” it said.

Earlier, Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said two platforms, X and Bigo Live, had demonstrated full compliance as of 9.30 pm Friday, having implemented age restrictions and committed to account identification and deactivation measures.

Meanwhile, Roblox and TikTok were assessed as partially compliant and had been urged to complete their obligations promptly.

Roblox has proposed limiting users under 13 to offline use, while TikTok has committed to gradually deactivating accounts of users below 16 and is expected to announce an operational roadmap for users aged 14 to 15.

Separately, Director of Health Services for Vulnerable Groups at the Health Ministry Imran Pambudi said the government will conduct a before-and-after study to assess the impact of the PP Tunas regulation.

He said the study will track key indicators of children’s well-being, including mental health symptoms, sleep quality, screen time, cyberbullying, access to mental health services and family well-being.

“Indicators observed include the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep quality, daily screen time, incidents of cyberbullying, access to mental health services and family well-being,” he said, according to ANTARA News Agency on Saturday.

The study, jointly conducted with the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry, will include a baseline assessment, followed by evaluations after six to 12 months and over a 24-month period.

He added that the restrictions are intended to safeguard children’s mental health, given their vulnerability due to ongoing brain development.

-- BERNAMA