Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) has issued its first official warning letter to YouTube after discovering a livestream allegedly featuring children in the promotion of electronic cigarettes, marking a stricter government response to child exploitation on digital platforms.
Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid described the incident as a serious violation, stressing that children must never be used to advertise products that are harmful or intended exclusively for adults.
“Children must be protected from every form of exploitation in the digital space. Content involving minors in promoting vape products clearly contradicts the principles of child protection and should have no place on digital platforms,” Meutya said in Jakarta on Sunday.
The warning follows the ministry’s findings involving YouTube content creator Muhammad Jannah, also known as Bigmo, who allegedly featured underage children while promoting vape products during a livestream.
According to the ministry, the warning letter forms part of Indonesia’s enforcement mechanism for Private Electronic System Operators (PSE), as regulated under Ministerial Regulation No. 5 of 2020 and other applicable laws.
Kemkomdigi has instructed YouTube to immediately review and take action against the content while providing an official explanation of the measures already implemented and additional steps planned to address the violation.
The ministry also urged the platform to strengthen its proactive content moderation system, particularly for content that could violate child protection standards. Authorities requested faster enforcement against similar material and called for more effective age verification and content restriction mechanisms to prevent minors from being exposed to or involved in vape-related promotions.
“We expect the platform to act swiftly. The digital space must not become a place where children are used to promote products that could endanger their health,” Meutya said.
YouTube has been given three days to respond to the ministry’s warning. Failure to comply could result in administrative sanctions ranging from written warnings and financial penalties to temporary service suspension or even access restrictions under Indonesian regulations.
Meutya emphasized that while the government prioritizes compliance and corrective action, it is prepared to impose stricter measures if digital platforms fail to meet their moderation responsibilities.
The ministry reaffirmed that protecting children in the online environment remains a national priority requiring cooperation among digital platforms, content creators, parents, and the wider community.
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