* Uncertainty over implementation of Indonesia's social

media restrictions for under-16s

* Government has designated platforms including Roblox ( RBLX )

and TikTok as high risk for young users

* Platforms say they are implementing safeguarding

measures

(Adds more comments by minister in paragraphs 14-15, TikTok

comment in paragraph 21)

By Yuddy Cahya Budiman and Stanley Widianto

JAKARTA, March 27 (Reuters) - Anza Zafran Utama, a

nine-year-old boy in the Indonesian city of Bogor, is either a

dinosaur or a shooter when he plays Roblox ( RBLX ) on his smartphone.

Zafran and his friends regularly hang out on Roblox ( RBLX )

, the U.S. platform where children can build immersive

3-D worlds and communities and play different characters.

From Saturday, under-16s are set to be restricted from

using the platform under new government rules, after officials

designated it high-risk.

"I like to joke around with my friends there," Zafran said

of Roblox ( RBLX ).

His mother, Andina Dwi, said he spends as long as four hours

on the platform after school, getting up only to charge his

phone.

"When he plays Roblox ( RBLX ) he forgets time," said Andina, 32, who

supports the controls.

Indonesia's social media curbs, which the government says are

intended to reduce the risk of cyberbullying and addiction,

follow a ban in Australia last year over concerns about social

media's potential harms to young people's mental health.

In the United States, where social media companies face

thousands of lawsuits over their platform designs, a court on

Thursday found Meta and Alphabet's YouTube

created addictive products that caused harm to young people.

Indonesia has also designated platforms including X, Meta's

Facebook and Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, owned by China's

ByteDance, as high-risk.

'TECHNICAL GUIDANCE LACKING'

As Saturday approaches, neither parents nor children have

much idea what will happen - whether all under-16 users will

find their accounts automatically deactivated, or whether there

will be a new verification process.

"The policy is all concepts, but the technical guidance is

still lacking," said Ika Idris, a social media expert at Monash

University who has children, aged 11 and 16, who use Roblox ( RBLX ).

Meutya Hafid, Indonesia's communications and digital

minister, said this month the deactivation of current accounts

of under-16s would take place gradually from Saturday.

Late on Friday, Meutya told reporters X and TikTok would

start deactivating accounts on Saturday, and Roblox ( RBLX ) would allow

users under-13s only to play offline.

She did not say whether these platforms were no longer

considered high-risk and gave no details of the deactivation.

High-risk platforms must adjust their minimum age and

deactivate accounts of underage users, and independently

determine the risks they pose, according to a ministerial decree

published this week.

Platforms are determined high-risk if they fulfil criteria such

as the possibility of talking to strangers, addictive qualities

and psychological risks, the ministry said.

PLATFORMS TAKE STEPS TO COMPLY

Roblox will introduce content and communications controls for

players under 16 in Indonesia to comply with the country's new

social media regulations, the company said this week, but gave

no details of the controls.

Berni Moestafa, Meta's head of public policy, Indonesia and

Philippines, said the company was committed to protecting teens

and had launched "Teen Accounts" for Instagram and Facebook in

Indonesia, adding those accounts have built-in protections that

address parents' concerns of who they talk to online, how they

spend their time and what content they see.

TikTok said it was committed to complying with the

regulation, suspends accounts identified as non-compliant to its

minimum age rules and has over 50 preset privacy and safety

features.

"As we move forward, we will take the necessary steps in line

with regulatory expectations, while continuing to strengthen our

safeguards," the company said.

X said Indonesia's minimum age requirement "prevents

age-restricted social media platforms, including X, from letting

people under 16 create or keep an account. It's not our choice -

it's what Indonesian law requires."

Google said on Friday it had placed safeguards for children

and appreciated Indonesia's "risk-based self assessment approach

which incentivizes built-in protections and age-appropriate

experiences for youth, as opposed to a blanket ban."

Removing accounts of under-16s on YouTube would create a

"knowledge divide" in a country of 280 million people, Google

said.

'I DON'T WATCH ANYTHING STRANGE'

Indonesia announced penalties last year for non-compliance with

the protections, including sanctions and, in the worst cases, a

block on the platform.

But experts remain sceptical about the measures'

implementation.

"There are concerns this won't be effective," said Wahyudi

Djafar, tech analyst and director of think-tank Catalyst Policy

Works, adding that children can still bypass the restrictions.

"The implementation is complicated."

Internet penetration in Indonesia reached 80.66% in 2025,

according to a survey by the Indonesia Internet Service

Providers' Association. The survey showed it was 87.8% among

"Gen Z" users aged 13 to 28.

"I don't watch anything strange ... just normal things,"

said 10-year-old Andaru Brahma Satria, about potentially losing

access to YouTube. "I feel just a little bit sad."