12-Year-Old Boy Gives Surprising Response When Asked by Deputy Minister About Social Media Restrictions

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LAMPUNG – Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Angga Raka Prabowo has reminded all electronic system providers to immediately comply with Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas).

PP Tunas, which officially takes effect from Saturday (28/3/2026), regulates restrictions on access to digital platforms for children under 16 years old. Angga Raka emphasised that the government has prepared strict sanctions for platforms that violate the rules, ranging from administrative fines to service shutdowns.

“In the regulation, we have implemented sanctions starting from fines to the most severe, which is the closure of digital platform services,” said Angga Raka when met by journalists at Bakauheni Port, South Lampung, on Friday (27/3/2026) night.

He mentioned that at least 10 digital platforms are categorised as high-risk for children. His ministry has conducted intensive communication with these platforms and hopes they will soon comply with the provisions, including providing parental consent mechanisms and child control features.

During his working visit, Angga Raka also held direct dialogues with several parents at Bakauheni Port. He expressed pleasure that many parents support this policy. Even children aged 12 to 13 whom he met stated that they understand the purpose of PP Tunas, which is to protect them until they are “ready” to use social media.

“Alhamdulillah, parents also support it. The children understand it too. We want to protect Indonesian children until they are ready to use social media,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Buleleng Regency Education Council in Bali has welcomed the implementation of PP Tunas positively. Chairman of the Buleleng Education Council, I Made Sedana, assessed this regulation as a strategic step to protect the younger generation from various risks in cyberspace, such as bullying, digital scams, and exposure to negative content.