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View all search resultsChildren fear losing learning, entertainment under social media ban
Some Indonesian minors fear losing their favorite entertainment platform, while parents look for alternative activities for their children as the government’s social media restrictions for under-16 users are set to come into effect on March 28.
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Children play online games against each other on smartphones and tablets along an alley in Jakarta on March 26, 2026. YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox, which are deemed “high-risk“ platforms by the government, will from March 28 start deactivating accounts owned by users younger than 16 years old. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
K
alam, an 11-year-old from Bekasi, West Java, usually spends one to two hours on weekends playing with his friends on Roblox, a popular sandbox platform for all ages, where he enjoys adventure and car racing games.
But as of Saturday, he and some 70 million Indonesians under 16 will lose access to Roblox and seven other platforms, as the government restricts child users’ access to digital applications deemed as posing “high risks” for children’s safety.
“If I can’t play Roblox anymore, I would feel a bit sad,” Kalam told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The restriction, formalized in the Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation (PP Tunas) passed in 2025, could also affect Kalam’s studies, as the fifth-grader relies on YouTube to find learning references.
When asked what he would do if he lost access to the video-sharing application, Kalam replied: “I don’t know. Maybe my teacher will have to send the videos through WhatsApp.” Another alternative would be doing assignments without looking for any external references, he added.
As regards entertainment apps, Kalam said he would switch to another sandbox game Minecraft or explore other video games.
Roblox and YouTube, alongside social media Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X and Bigo Live are subject to the restrictions and are required to deactivate accounts owned by users younger than 16 years old starting on Saturday.
