Saadet Gokce
March 31, 2026•Update: March 31, 2026
ISTANBUL
Indonesia has summoned Meta and Google over alleged non-compliance with laws requiring platforms to restrict children’s access to their services, state-run news agency Antara reported Tuesday.
Indonesia on Saturday officially began enforcing curbs on social media accounts for children under 16, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt nationwide restrictions.
Communications Minister Meutya Hafid said Monday the two major tech firms failed to comply with the new regulation.
Meta is the parent company of the digital platforms Threads, Facebook, and Instagram, while Google is the parent company of YouTube.
Separately, Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement on Tuesday that Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube are under investigation over social media laws.
A government report identified cases of under-16 bypassing age checks with several attempts, reopening of new accounts after old ones are deactivated, and inadequate reporting channels, the statement said.
Australia banned social media access for children under 16 in December 2025.
Systemic breaches could face penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33.9 million).
"If these social media companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws," Wells said.
She also said that as of early March, 5 million under-16 social accounts have been removed, deactivated or restricted as a consequence of Australia’s social media law.
