I just saw the news that Indonesia is officially copying Australia and banning anyone under 16 from social media starting March 28. They’re calling it a "digital emergency" or whatever, but man, the street gossip in Jakarta is already wild. I heard the government basically did a surprise "visit" to the Meta offices recently just to prove they aren't joking around this time.
Credit: Diplomat news page screenshot
The funniest (and kind of saddest) thing I’m hearing from the ground is that these kids don’t even have each other's phone numbers. They only know their friends' IG handles. Now they’re all scrambling to save their photos and ask for actual numbers like it’s the 90s again before they get locked out. Imagine being 15 and suddenly losing your entire social life because the Minister said so.
Over in Australia, they’ve already nuked millions of accounts. But let’s be real—does the government really think a 14-year-old doesn't know how to use a VPN? We’re basically just training a whole generation to be hackers before they even finish school.
Check this video for the actual details on how they plan to "catch" the kids. It sounds like a mess.
Video Credit: ABC News
What do you guys think? Is this actually going to "save the kids," or is it just a massive power grab that’s going to fail anyway? I’d love to hear if anyone is actually seeing this happen in their city yet.