The Minister of Communication and Digital of Indonesia, Meutya Hafid, has formally requested that the technology giant Meta accelerate its efforts to deactivate accounts belonging to underage users. This directive, issued during a high-level meeting in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, signals a major shift in the Indonesian government’s approach to regulating global digital platforms. The meeting, which involved Meta’s Vice President and Head of Global Public Policy, Kevin J. Martin, and Vice President and Global Head of Safety, Antigone Davis, underscores the growing tension between rapid digital expansion and the imperative for child safety within the Indonesian jurisdiction.
Regulatory Framework and the PP Tunas Mandate
The primary catalyst for this diplomatic pressure is the implementation of Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection, commonly referred to in Indonesia as "PP Tunas." This regulation serves as the legal cornerstone for the Ministry’s efforts to hold digital service providers accountable for the content and interactions children encounter online.
Minister Meutya Hafid emphasized that because Meta platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—hold significant influence over the daily lives of millions of Indonesians, the corporation bears a commensurate level of responsibility. The mandate goes beyond mere compliance; it requires the implementation of more rigorous age-verification protocols, the redesign of products to prioritize safety by default, and a commitment to consistent enforcement of safety policies. Furthermore, the Indonesian government is demanding periodic, transparent, and measurable reporting to ensure that the platforms are not merely paying lip service to safety regulations but are achieving tangible, verifiable outcomes.
Chronology of Engagement and Compliance Efforts
The dialogue between the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) and Meta is part of an ongoing series of regulatory engagements. Following the ratification of PP Tunas, the Ministry also enacted Minister of Communication and Digital Regulation (Permenkomdigi) Number 9 of 2026, which outlines the specific operational procedures for complying with the parent regulation.
The recent meeting in New York served as a progress review. According to official data provided by Meta, there has been a proactive effort to align with these mandates. Between March 28 and May 27, 2026, the company reported the deactivation of approximately 184,000 accounts belonging to users under the age of 13. This figure comprised 85,000 Instagram accounts and 99,000 Facebook accounts. While the Ministry acknowledged these figures as a positive initial step, Meutya Hafid explicitly stated that this pace is insufficient to meet the urgency of the threat to minors in the digital ecosystem.
The Ministry is now pushing for a more aggressive roadmap. The government’s current target involves a comprehensive strategy to limit and deactivate accounts belonging to users under 16 years of age across the entire suite of Meta products. This escalation reflects a broader legislative intent to align Indonesia’s child protection standards with international best practices, while simultaneously adapting to the specific cultural and digital landscape of the nation.
The Broader Context: Online Gambling and Safety Risks
Beyond the issue of child safety, the meeting also addressed the persistent challenge of online gambling (judol) in Indonesia. The proliferation of online gambling platforms has become a critical public interest issue, with the government intensifying its crackdown to mitigate the social and economic damage caused by widespread participation in illegal digital betting.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital has requested that Meta enhance its responsiveness to requests for the removal of gambling-related content. By leveraging Meta’s artificial intelligence and content moderation infrastructure, the Ministry believes that the platform can significantly reduce the visibility of illegal gambling advertisements and accounts that continue to penetrate the Indonesian user base. The synergy between the Ministry’s internal monitoring systems and Meta’s global safety protocols is viewed as a necessary partnership to curb the influence of illicit digital industries.

Analysis of Regulatory Implications
The pressure exerted by the Indonesian government on Meta highlights a growing global trend where nations are asserting sovereignty over digital spaces. For multinational corporations, this creates a complex landscape of compliance. Unlike previous decades, where platform self-regulation was often the norm, countries like Indonesia are moving toward a prescriptive model where the state defines specific safety benchmarks.
The implications for Meta are significant. Adapting to Indonesian regulations requires localized engineering and moderation strategies. If Meta fails to meet the specific requirements set by PP Tunas, the company faces potential administrative sanctions, which could range from heavy fines to temporary suspension of services. However, the dialogue remains cooperative rather than adversarial. By meeting with high-level Meta executives, the Ministry is signaling a preference for structural compliance over punitive measures, provided that the company demonstrates a clear commitment to the safety of the Indonesian digital public.
Technological Challenges in Age Verification
One of the most significant hurdles in this regulatory push is the technical difficulty of accurate age verification. While Meta has invested in AI-driven tools to detect underage users based on behavior, profile information, and social connections, the efficacy of these tools remains a subject of debate among experts.
The Indonesian government’s demand for a "concrete" plan for users under 16 years old suggests that the Ministry expects more than just heuristic detection. It implies a requirement for more robust identity verification, which could potentially impact user privacy. Balancing the need for child protection with the right to data privacy is a central challenge that the Ministry and Meta must navigate in the coming months.
Public and Social Impact
The urgency behind this initiative is driven by rising public concern regarding the impact of social media on youth mental health, cyberbullying, and exposure to inappropriate content. In Indonesia, where digital literacy levels vary significantly across age groups, the government’s intervention is largely seen as a necessary safeguard. Advocacy groups have long lobbied for stricter controls on social media giants, arguing that the business models of these platforms—which prioritize engagement—are fundamentally at odds with the developmental needs of children.
The success of these initiatives will be measured by the decline in reports of children accessing prohibited content and the effectiveness of the age-gating mechanisms implemented on platforms like Instagram and Threads. As Indonesia prepares for the next phase of digital regulation, the collaboration between Komdigi and global platforms will serve as a bellwether for how other emerging markets might handle the regulation of big tech in the years ahead.
Future Outlook
As the Ministry of Communication and Digital continues to refine its oversight mechanisms, the focus will likely shift from initial outreach to rigorous, data-driven enforcement. The upcoming months will be critical for Meta as it prepares to submit its detailed plan for the acceleration of account deactivations for users under 16.
Minister Meutya Hafid’s stance remains firm: the Indonesian government will not compromise on the safety of its youth. The expectation is that Meta will treat these requirements as a high-priority operational objective rather than a secondary regulatory burden. With the backing of the PP Tunas regulation, the Ministry has empowered itself to conduct more frequent audits and demand higher levels of transparency from all electronic system providers operating within the country.
In conclusion, the meeting between the Indonesian delegation and Meta’s leadership marks a pivotal moment in the digital governance of the nation. It highlights the transition from a period of unregulated growth to a more structured, state-monitored digital environment. As the government continues to push for safer digital spaces, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on the technological capacity of companies to adapt and the continued political will of the Ministry to enforce the laws as written. The path forward involves a delicate balance of technology, policy, and public responsibility, aimed at ensuring that the digital future of Indonesia is built on a foundation of safety, security, and accountability for all users, particularly the most vulnerable.




