After Australia’s ban, Indonesia mulls minimum age for social media

Jakarta says it is preparing legislation to protect minors from ‘physical, mental, or moral perils’.

Medan, Indonesia – As the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, Laila Lubis is busy experiencing the challenges and joys of new motherhood.

Though her daughter only recently uttered her first words, Lubis is already thinking about how the internet and social media could shape her development long into the future.

“I will never give a mobile phone to my child,” Lubis, who works as a humanitarian worker in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, told Al Jazeera.

“I will not allow my daughter to use a mobile phone for as long as I can. Maybe when my child is around six years old, I will think about homeschooling her for kindergarten, so she will have to have access to the internet for that.”

Across Indonesia, countless families are having similar discussions among themselves as the government prepares to introduce a minimum age for using social media.