Can Indonesia’s new regulation protect children in the digital space?

The Indonesian government has launched a policy to strengthen child protection in cyberspace.  
 

Issued by President Prabowo Subianto, the Government Regulation on Electronic System Operators in Child Protection – known as PP TUNAS – was a comprehensive legal framework that regulates children's rights in the digital space.

"PP TUNAS is a manifestation of the state's commitment to protect children from various digital threats and risks, while ensuring they get the best benefits from technological developments," said President Prabowo during the launch of PP TUNAS at the State Palace in Jakarta.  

The Minister of Communications and Digital, Meutya Hafid, said that this regulation was urgently needed, considering the number of digital crime cases involving children.     

The ministry’s website reported that in the past four years, there have been more than 5.5 million cases of child pornography content in Indonesia, 48 per cent of children who use social media experience online bullying, and 80,000 children are exposed to online gambling 

GovInsider spoke with Indonesian Child Protection Commission’s (KPAI) Commissioner, Kawiyan, and University of Surabaya's Psychology Lecturer, Listyo, to find out how the new rules can help in facing the challenges of an ever-evolving digital world. 

KPAI, was an independent state agency tasked with overseeing the implementation of the protection and fulfilment of children's rights in Indonesia, was also involved in the drafting process of this policy. 

To subscribe to the GovInsider bulletin, click here. 

The importance of parental control  

PP TUNAS stipulated that children under the age of 13 were not allowed to create digital accounts without parental consent. Meanwhile, children aged 13-17 must have parental permission and supervision when accessing digital platforms, Tempo previously reported.

This regulation also required Electronic System Operators (PSEs) or digital platforms to educate children and parents on the safe use of the internet. The rules also stipulated that the PSEs could not profile children for commercial purposes and that they needed to conduct impact assessments of products and services that could be accessed by children, they also had to increase employee competence in terms of child protection.  

If these obligations were violated, PSEs would be subject to administrative sanctions, ranging from warnings to termination of service access.  

KPAI's Kawiyan said that by emphasising the control aspects of parents and digital platforms, this regulation aimed to create a more child-friendly digital environment.  

"PP TUNAS contains obligations, responsibilities, and even prohibitions for Electronic System Operators (PSE), including social responsibility to educate and empower the digital ecosystem to the community," he said.

Improving family digital literacy  

Kawiyan underlined that while PP TUNAS was important as a first step, its implementation, however, was not as easy as one might think.

"Not all parents have digital literacy or enough time to guide their children," he noted.  

He encouraged the government to improve the digital literacy of families, as this is the key to successful implementation of PP TUNAS.

"It's about how [parents] build children's awareness to communicate wisely in the digital space." 

Another important aspect was that parents must set an example for their children, including time discipline in using gadgets and social media, he added.

The next step, according to him, was to draft more detailed derivative rules concerning how to involve the role of parents and supervision of digital platforms.   

He also emphasised the importance of the Ministry of Communications and Digital collaborating with institutions such as the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) and KPAI to strengthen supervisory roles. 

Towards effective implementation  

According to Kawiyan, regulations made by the government often faced challenges in the implementation process.

He highlighted the government's weak oversight of negative child-unfriendly content flooding the internet, including pornography, violence and hate speech which circulate freely on social media.

The University of Surabaya's Listyo also expressed the same concern. He highlighted the rise of violent content created by children and going viral on social media, as evidence of weak supervision and mentoring.

"The spread of such content indicates a lack of control," he said, noting that children could easily find loopholes, such as using VPNs to access blocked sites.  

"Generation Z is very curious and quick to find ways to get what they are looking for." 

Listyo added that the government needed to conduct regular evaluations of existing regulations and not only act reactively after an incident occurred.