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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.

In a high-level diplomatic and regulatory engagement held in New York, United States, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, the Indonesian Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, formally urged Meta Platforms, Inc. to accelerate the deactivation of accounts belonging to underage users. This directive marks a significant escalation in the Indonesian government’s efforts to enforce the recently enacted Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 (PP Tunas), which mandates strict oversight of electronic systems to ensure the safety and protection of minors in the digital sphere.

The meeting, which included key Meta executives—specifically Vice President and Head of Global Public Policy Kevin J. Martin and Vice President and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis—served as a critical platform for the Indonesian government to convey its expectations regarding digital safety standards. Minister Hafid emphasized that given Meta’s massive footprint and influence within Indonesia, the company bears a profound responsibility to align its operational practices with the local legal framework designed to shield children from online harms, ranging from predatory behavior to exposure to age-inappropriate content.

The Regulatory Landscape: PP Tunas and Digital Governance

The Indonesian government’s firm stance is rooted in the implementation of Government Regulation (PP) Number 17 of 2025, concerning the Governance of Electronic Systems for Child Protection, commonly referred to as "PP Tunas." This regulation was introduced as a comprehensive response to the increasing concerns regarding the vulnerability of children on social media platforms. The regulation mandates that digital platforms operating in Indonesia implement rigorous age verification protocols, transparent reporting mechanisms, and proactive content moderation to identify and deactivate accounts held by individuals under the legally protected age thresholds.

Accompanying this mandate is the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Regulation Number 9 of 2026, which outlines the specific execution steps for platforms. During the discussion in New York, Minister Hafid highlighted that while the initial efforts of Meta are noted, the pace of compliance must be synchronized with the urgency of child protection. The minister explicitly called for a clear, time-bound roadmap for the deactivation of accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 across Meta’s primary platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Chronology of Enforcement and Initial Compliance

The push for stricter controls did not emerge in a vacuum. Throughout the first half of 2026, the Indonesian government maintained consistent pressure on digital service providers to bolster their safety infrastructure. According to internal data provided by Meta during the consultation, the platform has already initiated localized measures to align with the new regulatory environment.

Between March 28, 2026, and May 27, 2026, Meta reported the removal 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 these numbers indicate a proactive start, Minister Hafid argued that the scale of the challenge remains significant. The ministry’s request for an accelerated plan suggests that the government views these figures as a starting point rather than a satisfactory conclusion to the mandate.

The timeline of this regulatory journey underscores the government’s systematic approach:

• Early 2025: Initial drafting and discourse surrounding the necessity of a dedicated regulation for child digital protection.
• Mid-2025: Formal enactment of PP 17/2025 (PP Tunas) setting the legal basis for digital safety.
• Early 2026: Drafting and socialization of Permenkomdigi 9/2026 to provide technical guidance to companies.
• March–May 2026: Initial compliance phase where Meta reported the removal of 184,000 underage accounts.
• September 2026: Formal meeting in New York to demand an accelerated timeline and more robust age-verification technologies.

The Technical and Ethical Imperative

The core of the ministry’s demand revolves around four pillars: stricter age controls, safer product design, consistent enforcement, and measurable periodic reporting. Minister Hafid expressed that the government is no longer content with reactive measures; instead, it demands that safety be "baked into" the product architecture.

From a policy analysis perspective, the demand for "safer product design" implies that Meta must reconsider features that contribute to excessive screen time, social comparison, and the ease with which minors can bypass age gates. Critics of social media have long argued that platforms often prioritize user engagement over safety. By enforcing these regulations, Indonesia is signaling that the domestic market will not tolerate business models that compromise the developmental wellbeing of its youth.

The call for "periodic, measurable reporting" also indicates a shift toward a data-driven regulatory relationship. The Ministry of Communication and Digital intends to monitor the effectiveness of Meta’s compliance through consistent audits, ensuring that the company’s internal safety metrics align with government-verified outcomes.

Broader Implications: Gambling and Digital Safety

Beyond the immediate scope of child protection, the meeting also touched upon broader issues of digital hygiene, including the government’s ongoing campaign against online gambling (judol). While the primary focus was on minors, the discourse surrounding "responsive action" from platforms like Meta suggests a wider expectation for cooperation in policing illicit content.

The Indonesian government has identified online gambling as a major threat to social and economic stability, particularly among the lower-income and younger demographics. The pressure exerted on Meta to be "responsive" suggests that the Ministry of Communication and Digital expects a seamless integration between its enforcement agencies and the platform’s moderation tools. If a platform is capable of identifying and removing accounts of children under 13, the ministry argues that the same technical prowess should be applied to identifying and eradicating illegal gambling content, which often leverages similar algorithmic reach to target users.

Industry and Stakeholder Perspectives

While the official statement from the Ministry highlights the firm stance of the government, industry observers note that the implementation of such regulations presents significant technical challenges for global technology companies. Age verification, for instance, remains a complex issue globally, often pitting the need for strict compliance against user privacy concerns and the technical difficulty of verifying a user’s identity without invasive data collection.

However, the consensus among child safety advocates in Indonesia is that the government’s approach is a necessary intervention. Organizations focused on digital rights and child protection have frequently lauded the Ministry of Communication and Digital for its proactive stance, suggesting that Indonesia is positioning itself as a leader in the Global South regarding digital regulation.

Future Outlook and Strategic Objectives

The meeting between Minister Hafid and the Meta delegation concludes with a clear roadmap for the remainder of 2026 and heading into 2027. The Indonesian government expects a comprehensive update on the "accelerated plan" for the deactivation of accounts for users under 16. This age threshold is of particular significance, as it aligns with broader global debates regarding the developmental risks associated with social media usage among teenagers.

Moving forward, the success of this initiative will be measured not only by the number of accounts closed but by the structural changes in how these platforms function within the Indonesian market. The Ministry of Communication and Digital has made it clear that the "tanggung jawab" (responsibility) of these platforms is commensurate with their market size. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the Indonesian government is establishing a precedent that international technology giants must respect local statutes, particularly those concerning the most vulnerable segments of the population.

In conclusion, the engagement in New York represents a defining moment in the digital governance of Indonesia. By successfully bridging the gap between national regulatory aspirations and the operational realities of global tech platforms, the Ministry of Communication and Digital is setting a new standard for digital accountability. The pressure on Meta to act is a clear indicator that the era of self-regulation for large social media platforms is nearing its end in Indonesia, replaced by a robust, law-enforced framework aimed at ensuring that the digital future is safe, secure, and beneficial for the nation’s youth. The coming months will be critical as the ministry monitors the progress of these initiatives and assesses whether the collaborative approach taken with Meta will yield the systemic improvements envisioned by the government.