TikTok, YouTube disable 4.7m child accounts under Indonesia's PP TUNAS

Indonesia's digital platforms have disabled 4.7 million children's accounts as the country begins enforcing its new online child protection rules, marking one of the earliest tangible outcomes of the government's push to make digital services safer for minors.

The account removals come under Government Regulation No. 17/2025 on Electronic System Governance for Child Protection (PP TUNAS), which requires digital platforms to strengthen safeguards for young users through a risk-based regulatory framework.

According to communication and digital affairs minister Meutya Hafid, TikTok accounted for the majority of the removals, taking down 4.1 million accounts as of June, while YouTube reported removing approximately 600,000 accounts in May.

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The removals are being viewed by the government as an early indication that platforms have begun meeting their obligations under PP TUNAS by taking concrete action to protect children in digital spaces.

Beyond account enforcement, around 200 digital platforms have submitted self-assessments to the government as part of the regulation's implementation. Authorities are now evaluating each platform's risk profile, a process that will determine how well individual services address potential harms to children.

"We are not only delaying children's access, but we also want to see a change in platform behaviour. That is why we have designed the regulation using a risk-based approach," said Hafid.

The ministry is currently reviewing the submitted assessments and will publicly disclose the risk profiles of participating platforms once the evaluation process has been completed.

Hafid also stressed that the success of PP TUNAS will depend not only on government regulation but also on continued support from parents, media organisations, the wider public and the platforms themselves.

Speaking during the opening of Antara's Perisai Tunas photo journalism exhibition, she said the exhibition helps raise public awareness of child protection in digital spaces by documenting early behavioural changes following the regulation's implementation, including growing public awareness and schools' efforts to limit gadget use during learning hours.

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