Indonesia eyes e-commerce ban for under-16s: minister to AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s government is mulling an e-commerce ban for under-16s, the communications minister told AFP Wednesday, hot on the heels of Jakarta imposing a sweeping social media prohibition for teens.
“E-commerce (platforms) are next, because we found children who became scam victims through e-commerce,” Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said in an interview in Jakarta, without providing further details.
In March, app-addicted Indonesia started enforcing a social media ban for under-16s in a bid to shield some 70 million children from the threats of online pornography, cyberbullying, and Internet addiction.
The policy followed Australia’s landmark move in December to stop teenagers holding accounts on many popular platforms.
The Indonesian regulation initially targeted eight “high risk” platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
But it will eventually apply to “all digital platforms,” Meutya said Wednesday, including online shopping sites.