EN.malanginspirasi.com – TikTok has given an official commitment to the Indonesian government to gradually deactivate accounts of users under 16 years old, beginning Saturday, March 28, 2026. The pledge was announced directly by Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid during a press conference on Friday night, March 27, 2026, as part of the platform’s compliance with Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation No. 9 of 2026.
“TikTok has committed to phasing out accounts of users under 16 years old. They will announce the operational roadmap for users aged 14–15,” Meutya explained.
The statement marks a concrete step by TikTok to support the implementation of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems for Child Protection (PP TUNAS).
The policy is not a permanent ban but an “access suspension” until children reach 16 years of age. Digital platforms categorized as high-risk—including TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox—are required to begin this gradual deactivation starting today.
The goal is clear: to protect children from exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, algorithmic addiction, personal data exploitation, and risks such as grooming and other harmful interactions in digital spaces.
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Ministerial Regulation No. 9/2026 is a technical derivative of PP TUNAS, which was enacted last year. Indonesia has become the first non-Western country to introduce this strict age limit, following similar measures in Australia and several European nations. The rollout is being implemented gradually to avoid sudden disruption for millions of users.
TikTok itself stated that it is coordinating intensively with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to ensure full compliance.
Previously, TikTok has highlighted that it already offers more than 50 automatic safety and privacy features for teenage users, such as private accounts by default for ages 13–15, restrictions on direct messages (DMs), live streaming, duets, and stitches.
However, Indonesia’s regulation is stricter than TikTok’s global policy, which still allows accounts from age 13 with feature limitations.
As of Friday night, TikTok had not yet publicly released detailed technical information on its age verification process. The system is expected to combine self-reported birth dates, activity pattern detection algorithms, and possibly additional verification methods such as ID upload or selfie checks, in line with the company’s global practices.
