Malanginspirasi.com – Government Regulation (PP) Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic Systems for Child Protection (PP Tunas) represents the government’s effort to suspend access to social media and high-risk applications for children under 16.
This policy is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen child protection in the increasingly complex digital space.
The Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Viada Hafid, explained that this policy comes up from various studies from psychologists, child development experts, and other parties focused on child protection issues in the digital era.
According to Meutya Hafid, an appropriate age for children to begin accessing social media independently is around 16 years of age.
She stated that children are mature enough during that age in terms of emotional and psychological for navigating the dynamics of the digital world.
“The most appropriate age to start accessing social media is around 16 years old. This is not just a ministry decision, but the result of discussions with psychologists, child development experts, and various parties studying the impact of social media use on children,” said Meutya Hafid during the Sahabat Tunas Digital Class: Tunggu Anak Siap event at the Garuda Spark Innovation Hub in Jakarta on Monday (March 9, 2026).
Delaying Social Media Access Instead of Prohibiting Children from Using Digital Technology
She emphasized that this policy does not prohibit children from using digital technology, but rather to delay social media access until they are truly mentally and psychologically ready.
The policy also carries the slogan “Tunggu Anak Siap,” (Wait for Children to Be Ready) which emphasizes that it needs preparation for children before freely exploring the digital space.
According to Meutya Hafid, the government has received a lot of input from the public regarding the various risks of social media use for children.
These risks range from digital addiction, exposure to negative content, cyberbullying, and online fraud that often targets young users.
“We have received many complaints, both from parents and users themselves. Furthermore, various studies have shown the risk of addiction and exposure to content that is inappropriate for children,” she explained.
She added that children are also vulnerable to various forms of online fraud, including unsafe online transactions.
“There are many cases of children being deceived when shopping online or exposed to content that is not appropriate for their age. This is one strong reason why the government needs to be present to provide protection,” added Meutya.
As a country with a very large number of internet users, Indonesia faces unique challenges in managing a safe digital ecosystem for children.
Menkomdigi stated that global digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and various others have millions of users in Indonesia, including children.
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On the other hand, these platforms are also a digital industry that derives significant profits from user activity.
Therefore, the government believes that regulations are necessary to ensure that digital platforms are responsible for protecting child users.
“These digital platforms are not just social media, but also industries that profit significantly from their users. Therefore, they must also improve protection for children,” she stressed.
Kemkomdigi added that the government has repeatedly reminded digital platforms to improve their child protection systems. However, there are still many negative contents are still circulating on social media so far.
This is the reason why the government shoud take firmer action by enacting regulations that restrict children’s access to digital platforms up to a certain age.
Several other countries begun to implement similar measures, said Meutya in facing similar challenges in protecting children in the digital space.
Developments in AI Technology Trigger The Policy
Furthermore, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is also a factor accelerating the development of these policies.
Advances in AI technology may bring significant benefits though they have the potential to increase various risks in the digital space.
“With the development of AI, digital content will become increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is genuine and what is manipulated. Children will certainly have more difficulty distinguishing between true and false information,” Meutya Hafid mentioned.
Therefore, according to Meutya, regulations such as the PP Tunas are important to ensure children have adequate protection before the increasingly complex digital ecosystem exposure.
The government expects that Indonesian children can grow and develop healthily in the digital era through the PP Tunas policy.
Yet, they still can become a generation with capability in utilizing technology positively and responsibly in the future.
