Government Issues PP on Restrictions on Children’s Social Media to Protect Mental Health in Digital Space
By: Dhita Karuniawati )*
The Indonesian government has officially issued a Government Regulation (PP) that regulates restrictions on the use of social media for children as a preventive measure to protect their mental health amidst the rapid flow of digital information. This step is a response to increasing public concern about the negative impacts of social media on the psychological development of children and adolescents.
This PP is part of the government’s commitment to creating a healthy, safe, and child-friendly digital space. In the regulation, there are a number of provisions that regulate the minimum age for using social media, the duration of daily use, and the obligation of digital platforms to filter content that is not suitable for consumption by children.
President Prabowo Subianto issued the Government Regulation on the Governance of Electronic System Organizers in Child Protection (PP Tunas). PP Tunas is a new legal basis for child protection in the digital space.
Prabowo said PP Tunas was created to ensure every child is safe and healthy in the digital space. He emphasized that the government wants children to get good benefits from technological developments.
Meanwhile, Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid said PP Tunas is a real manifestation of the state’s presence to ensure children’s safety in the digital environment. Because, one in three internet users in Indonesia are children.
PP Tunas also becomes a new legal basis that regulates the obligations of digital platform organizers in ensuring the protection of children as internet users. The state wants to create a safe, healthy, and child-friendly digital space.
The government opens up space for public participation in the process of drafting the Ministerial Regulation which will regulate the implementation of this policy in more technical terms. Public involvement is expected to strengthen the implementation of PP Tunas to suit the needs of children and the dynamics of the digital ecosystem.
The government has given a two-year transition period for all electronic system providers to adjust to the provisions of the TUNAS policy. During this period, the function of the independent institution will be temporarily carried out by the Ministry of Communication and Digital until an independent institution is formed through a Presidential Regulation.
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) welcomed the ratification of the Government Regulation on the Governance of the Implementation of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas). KPAI Commissioner Aris Adi Leksono said that regulations are needed to protect children’s vulnerabilities in the online realm.
KPAI Commissioner Aris Adi Leksono said that his party welcomed the issuance of the PP. Because the situation of children’s vulnerability in the online world is already an emergency, so that protective measures are needed from upstream to downstream, from application producers that damage children’s growth and development to optimizing the role of families, educational units, and communities.
Aris Adi Leksono hopes that PP Tuntas can be implemented massively so that a child-friendly digital space is created. In the future, it is important to strengthen digital literacy for children and families, so that resilience and control are created from children to be able to choose and sort out healthy and unhealthy internet access.
Likewise, Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Amelia Anggraini, said that child data protection is an integral part of Indonesia’s digital sovereignty. This was conveyed in response to the Government Regulation (PP) on Governance for Safe and Healthy Digital Children or PP Tunas. This policy shows the state’s commitment to ensuring that Indonesia’s digital space is a safe, healthy environment that supports the growth and development of Indonesian children.
Amelia assessed that PP Tunas is comprehensive, starting from the regulation of digital account creation based on the child’s age group, to the requirement for parental approval and supervision.
Amelia fully supports the provisions prohibiting child profiling for commercial purposes, which are based on the principle that children’s personal data should not be exploited. Moreover, this policy is accompanied by strict administrative sanctions for platforms that violate, ranging from warnings, fines, to termination of service and termination of access.
Amelia assessed that the approach in the PP strengthens supervision, expands digital education, and encourages cross-sector collaboration including educational institutions, civil society, and digital platforms to protect children in the digital realm.
Amelia gave an example in the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prohibits the collection of data on children under the age of 16 without parental consent. Then, in the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites and digital services to obtain parental consent before accessing information on children under the age of 13.
The success of the implementation of this PP does not only depend on the government and digital platforms, but also requires active involvement from parents, educators, and the wider community. Parents need to improve digital literacy so that they can be good companions for their children in using technology. Schools must be inclusive digital education spaces, not just places for academic learning.
Meanwhile, cross-country cooperation is also needed, considering that most social media platforms are global in scale. The Indonesian government will continue to communicate with platform developers to ensure compliance with local regulations.
The issuance of the Government Regulation on restrictions on the use of social media for children is a progressive step that deserves to be appreciated. In the midst of an increasingly complex digital world, protecting children’s mental health is a shared responsibility. Hopefully, with this regulation, Indonesian children can grow up in a healthy, productive digital environment, and free from the negative influence of social media.
*) The author is a contributor to the Indonesian Strategic Information Study Institute
