The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has begun introducing guidelines on the use of electronic devices at schools to support the implementation of a social media ban for minors under 16 which will come into force in less than three weeks.

Indonesian press and the mainstream media in the country have struggled financially for years amid the domination of global platforms that monopolize the production and distribution of information.

From forced closures of worship spaces to attacks on children, Setara says government policies and selective law enforcement continue to enable religious freedom violations in Indonesia. 

The Health Ministry has reported a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among Indonesian children, affecting around 10 percent of them, about five times the rate recorded among adults and elderly, with bullying and academic pressure among the key risk factors. 

Indonesia will require platforms to deactivate "high risk" social media accounts for under 16s, according to a new ministerial regulation distributed on Monday.

Social media and other digital platforms in Indonesia now have three months to assess child safety risks under a new government regulation, with users under 16 facing restrictions on high-risk services to curb exposure to harmful content and online exploitation.

The social media ban for children under 16 will take effect on March 28, but details about the ban remain scarce.

Despite having ‘progressive’ policies such as the 2022 Sexual Violence Eradication Law, gender-based violence cases are still rampant in the country, with many blaming the lack of adequate response from law enforcement institutions in giving justice to victims of such crimes.

A study published on March 2 in The Lancet Oncology recorded some 60,400 cases of breast cancer across the country in 2023, nearly six times higher than the figure in 1990. At least 28,300 patients in Indonesia also died in the same year because of this type of cancer.

The rampant misuse of canisters of nitrous oxide gas ostensibly marketed as whipped cream chargers but increasingly used to induce euphoria, has exposed regulatory loopholes that raise concerns about its impact on young people.

In recent days, several schools in Central Java have returned government-provided meal packages following complaints from parents about their quality.

Women’s rights groups have criticized the country’s new Criminal Code (KUHP) for continuing to criminalize abortion except in cases of rape or medical necessity, calling the law a setback for women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. 

Japan’s labor demand and high-quality public services are fueling a wave of Indonesians seeking work, stability, and a fresh start far from domestic frustrations.

Three out of four young people in Indonesia want to have two children or more, but they also believe they will eventually have fewer children in their lifetime, according to the United Nations family planning body.

Most digital fraud, which ranges from fraudulent investment to love scams, flourishes in Indonesia due to lagging progress from authorities in fighting the scammers who are relatively quicker to adapt and innovate, experts suggested.

Once widely seen as a rite of passage, marriage is being redefined by Indonesia’s Gen Z, who are increasingly choosing to wait or keep celebrations modest as rising living costs and evolving personal values reshape their priorities.

From TikTok trends to free durians, religious affairs offices (KUA) across Indonesia are adopting creative tactics to spark Gen Z interest in marriage, as registration numbers continue to fall nationwide.

Two officials have raised a plan to recruit 70,000 new forest rangers across the country to prevent illegal logging, forest encroachment and other forest crimes.

A controversial social media post by a recipient of a state-funded Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship about her child’s foreign citizenship has sparked a widespread backlash and drawn government scrutiny, reigniting a debate over the program’s mandatory return-to-Indonesia requirement.

Most cities and regencies in Indonesia are failing to enforce single-use plastic restrictions, a situation worsened by inadequate monitoring systems and budgets needed to meet the national target of phasing out the use of plastics by 2030, a new report has found.

Appointing a retired military doctor may disrupt meritocracy within civilian institutions and hindering the resolve of persistent issues faced by the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and the national health insurance (JKN), observers have said.

The narcotics agency found some liquids for e-cigarette laced with narcotics, such as methamphetamine and etomidate, which is classified as a new psychotic substance.

The Communications and Digital Ministry will block social media accounts owned by underage children as soon as the minimum age limit policy takes place in March, promising immediate action on online platforms for users under 18 years old.

At a Jakarta Arts Council lecture, scholars challenged the state and the public to rewrite disaster history from the perspective of the displaced, as Sumatra struggles to recover from deadly floods and landslides.

The facilities offered for teachers recruited for the Sekolah Garuda (Garuda Schools) program have drawn criticism for potentially creating disparities between educators at elite and regular schools.

Officials will launch ground verification to ensure whether 2,000 beneficiaries that switch to the self-funded scheme can still pay for the premiums by themselves or require subsidies from the state.

The government has announced that Ramadan will start on Thursday following an isbat (moon sighting confirmation) meeting on Tuesday.

Rather than pushing the community for mass actions to pick up trash, the government should focus on addressing systemic flaws in the country’s waste management system, environmentalists have said.

Amid the rare overlap of Lunar New Year and Ramadan, Chinese Muslims in Indonesia are finding ways to honor both celebrations, respecting family customs and Islamic practices at the same time.

The Transportation Ministry has introduced a free mudik (exodus) program this year, deploying hundreds of buses and tens of thousands of free tickets to help families save on travel costs and ease congestion, as authorities brace for one of Indonesia’s largest annual population movements.