TikTok, YouTube Cut 4.7 Million Accounts as Global Crackdown Spreads

In this report for Cryptopolitan, author Noor Bazmi informs readers that Indonesia has deactivated approximately 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to children under 16 as part of its new online child protection framework, PP TUNAS. The move follows regulations requiring high-risk platforms to prevent underage users from accessing their services, with TikTok accounting for 4.1 million suspended accounts and YouTube around 600,000.

The report explains that Indonesia’s government is taking a risk-based regulatory approach, requiring digital platforms to assess and reduce the potential harms their services pose to children. Authorities say the goal extends beyond limiting children’s access, seeking instead to encourage platforms to redesign their services with child safety as a core consideration.

Bazmi also examines similar developments in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proposed banning under-16s from using major social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. While Starmer argues the measures are necessary to protect children’s wellbeing, technology companies have warned that blanket bans could drive young users toward less regulated online spaces.

The report concludes by placing these initiatives within a broader global trend toward stricter online safety rules for minors. Countries including Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia have already introduced age restrictions or related legislation, while several others are considering comparable measures as governments respond to growing public concern about the impact of social media on children…

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