TikTok and YouTube Deactivate 4.7 Million Under-16 Accounts in Indonesia
- TikTok and YouTube removed a combined total of roughly 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 in Indonesia
- The massive enforcement comes after a government regulation passed in March targeted "high-risk" digital platforms to fight cyberbullying and addiction
- TikTok accounted for the vast majority of the purge by deactivating 4.1 million accounts, while YouTube deactivated 600,000 accounts
In a massive sweeping operation, tech giants TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a combined total of approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 in Indonesia.
Source: UGC
The massive wave of deletions marks the first major wave of enforcement as the country’s aggressive social media restrictions begin to take effect.
According to a report shared on Instagram by Citi 97.3 FM, Indonesia's Communications and Digital Minister, Meutya Hafid, confirmed the details of the digital purge.
A closer breakdown of the data reveals that ByteDance’s TikTok carried out the bulk of the closures by erasing 4.1 million accounts, while Google's video-sharing giant, YouTube, permanently deactivated about 600,000 profiles.
Indonesian government pushes for behavioural change
The large-scale account terminations are the direct result of a legal regulation introduced by the Indonesian government in March.
The policy legally obligates any social media platform classified as "high risk" to actively identify and remove accounts held by minors under 16, shifting the burden of enforcement entirely onto the tech companies rather than parents or schools.
The state regulatory package is designed to heavily combat rising cases of online addiction, algorithmic manipulation, and cyberbullying among minors.
Minister Meutya Hafid emphasised that the government is closely reviewing compliance reports submitted by tech corporations.
"We're not just delaying a child's access, but we want behaviours from platforms to change, too," the minister stated, noting that other prominent platforms like Meta’s Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Roblox are also expected to follow suit and submit their own deactivation figures soon.
With this aggressive move, Indonesia joins a rapidly expanding group of international governments, including Australia and the United Kingdom, that are implementing strict statutory age limits on social media consumption.
The Instagram post below has more about the deletion of children's accounts on TikTok and YouTube.
UAE bans children under 15 from socials
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has joined the growing number of nations banning social media access for underage children.
A new Cabinet resolution passed in the country gives social media platforms a 12-month timeline to review and remove all accounts created by those under 15, or face a total ban.
State news agency WAM on June 18, 2026, reported that the resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years, meaning children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts.
Source: YEN.com.gh
