Age verification alone insufficient to protect Indonesian children online

A recent revelation from Indonesia's Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, indicates a widespread issue: approximately 60 percent of children falsify their age to access social media platforms. This finding emerges as the government actively implements new regulations aimed at protecting children in the digital space.

The government's approach, detailed in Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Implementation for Child Protection (PP TUNAS), places significant responsibility on digital platform providers for age verification. The strategy relies on algorithms designed to detect underage user behavior and restrict access. However, this technical solution is seen as fundamentally flawed.

Critics argue that attempting to solve a problem rooted in human behavior, specifically, children's psychological drive for social acceptance and fear of missing out, with purely technical means is a misstep. Despite robust age-detection algorithms, children will continue to find ways to bypass them, such as using adult identities or enlisting older relatives. The 60 percent figure serves as stark evidence that platform-based verification alone is not effective.

Developmental psychology research consistently shows that peer pressure and social norms play a far greater role in children's digital engagement than technical barriers. When a child's social circle is active on social media, age restrictions without addressing these underlying social incentives are unlikely to succeed. The focus needs to shift from solely reinforcing technology to understanding and mitigating the social pressures that compel children to seek access.

“

three out of five children, or about 60 percent, are known to falsify their age in order to access social media