Bimantoro Kushari Pramono, lecturer in human-computer interaction at Universitas Indonesia, told CNA that systemically, social media platforms are “indeed designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible”.
Their business model, he added, is based on the attention economy, meaning algorithms continuously display the most engaging content according to users’ preferences.
“The problem is that the state fundamentally does not have access to these algorithms because they are proprietary business assets of platform companies. As a result, the government’s ability to control how these algorithms operate is actually very limited,” said Bimantoro.
In such a situation, the most realistic policy option for the state is to control user access rather than control the algorithm itself.
“So age restrictions can be seen as an effort by the state to reduce children’s exposure to algorithmic systems that are intentionally designed to be highly addictive,” he said.
Beyond algorithm design, Ika also pointed to the possibility of implementing more protective privacy settings for children’s social media accounts.
“For instance, default settings that are restrictive, which users must consciously change,” she said, adding that with this approach, protection would not rely on user initiative but would be embedded from the outset.
Ika said that other design interventions could also be considered, ranging from screen-time reminders to enforced pauses before users return to the screen. For Ika, such measures would be more concrete than merely imposing administrative restrictions.
On the other hand, she raised concerns about the assessment mechanism stipulated under the new regulation, which requires platforms to conduct self-assessments and submit the results to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.
“But who verifies those results?” she asked.
“The ministry must have verification capacity – expert resources, algorithm auditors, platform design auditors – and a clear verification mechanism,” she said while cautioning that the verification process should not end up restricting access to public information.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-social-media-ban-under-16-parents-5986856
