Indonesia warns YouTube over vape livestream with children

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs issued a first warning letter to YouTube after authorities found a vape livestream featuring children, ANTARA reported.

Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said exploiting children to promote products not intended for them is a serious violation and would not be tolerated. “Children must be protected from all forms of exploitation in the digital space. Content involving children in the promotion of vape products clearly contradicts the principles of child protection and has no place on digital platforms,” she said.

The warning letter is part of the government’s enforcement mechanism to ensure private electronic system operators comply with Indonesia’s digital platform regulations. It asked YouTube to immediately review and remove the content or take other appropriate action, and to clarify what measures it has taken and plans to take.

The ministry also called on YouTube to strengthen proactive content moderation to detect material that may violate child protection principles, including vape promotion. It said the platform should respond faster to similar content and ensure its age verification and age restriction mechanisms work effectively.

“We expect platforms to act swiftly. The digital space must not become a place where children are exploited to promote products that could harm their health,” Hafid said. The ministry gave YouTube three days to respond.

Failure to comply could bring administrative sanctions under Indonesian law, ranging from written warnings and fines to temporary service suspension or blocking access to the electronic system. Hafid said the government prioritizes guidance and compliance, but “will not hesitate to enforce the applicable regulations” if platforms fail to moderate content that violates the rules.