With their heads bent over their phones, these young Indonesians are spending their final moments on social media
This Saturday, under-16s across this Southeast Asian nation will be barred from accessing TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat
a measure to protect young people according to the authorities. We are taking this measure to regain control of our children's future
We want technology that makes people more human and does not sacrifice our young people's childhood
A total of 70 million children are affected in a country with a population of over 280 million
Children's accounts on so-called high-risk platforms must be deactivated, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and Roblox
Some young Indonesians recognise the harmful effects of social media, particularly on their education
I'm becoming less productive. I get distracted more often when I'm working
For example, when my parents ask me to mop the floor or do the washing up
it takes me too long because I'm distracted by social media. The ban itself will come into force gradually
In the event of non-compliance, platforms will face fines. Some teachers welcome this measure and warn of the scale of the problem
It is already worrying because recently we've been seeing content emerge that causes what's known as brain numbing
This is very strange content that alters the way children think. With this ban on social media for young people
Indonesia is following the example of several countries, including Australia, which has adopted a similar measure
The French authorities are also working on adopting identical legislation set to come into force next September