Indonesia social media ban to have negative impact on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang viewership

As Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continues to grow throughout Southeast Asia and beyond, the popular mobile esport is going to see a pretty big hitch in Indonesia. 

The Indonesian goverment has announced a ban on "high-risk" social media platforms for anyone under 16 years old, hoping to protect minors from addiction and harmful content. This will be enforced on March 28th, 2026. 

And it's believed that this will have a negative impact on MLBB's viewership.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang viewership in trouble in Indonesia

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has become a massive esport in Indonesia, and its popularity has only been growing. The M7 World Championship became the most-watched mobile esports tournament in history. 

However, Esports Charts believes that MLBB could lose up to 14% of its viewership once the social media ban goes into effect. Under this new law, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X will no longer be accessible to teens under 16, and the platforms will be required to deactivate these accounts or face legal consequences. Roblox was also included. 

According to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs in the country, data has shown that about 50% of Indonesian kids have encountered inappropriate sexual content and cyberbullying. The age mandate will make it a lot easier to protect children, since it's difficult for parents to monitor every social media account. 

Unfortunately for the MLBB esports scene, many younger fans watch MLBB tournaments and streams on platforms considered high risk, such as YouTube and TikTok. These platforms helped the MPL Indonesia Season 16 tournament reach 100 million hours of watch time. 

With MPL Indonesia Season 17 starting on March 27th — a day before the ban — we will likely see the true impact of this new law pretty soon. It's expected to be major due to the TikTok ban, which may alarm the government as it continues to embrace the growth of esports in the country.