200,000 Children Exposed to Online Gambling: Sociologist Attributes it to Family and Peer Influence

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A sociologist believes that the family and peer environment contribute to the exposure of 200,000 Indonesian children to online gambling.

“200,000 children is not a small number. This is certainly due to the influence of the family habitus and peer group,” said Professor of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Airlangga University (Unair), Bagong Suyanto, in an interview with Kompas.com, Friday (15/5/2026).

Bagong Suyanto views the family and friendship environment as a major factor in this phenomenon.

In addition to environmental factors, he highlighted the ease of access to gadgets for children.

“Plus, the subculture of marginalized children who are accustomed to speculation to earn money quickly and easily,” he added.

According to Meutya, around 80,000 of the children exposed to online gambling are under 10 years old.

“So, it is important for us to create space to convey that this problem is very large,” said Meutya at the Indonesia.go.id Meets Medan: Full Speed Ahead to Reject Online Gambling event, in Medan, Wednesday (13/5/2026).

She explained that the government will focus on blocking access to and taking down online gambling sites, as well as strengthening education and digital literacy for the public.

Meutya said that the government is not only present to block access but also to reach out to the public and convey the facts.

On the other hand, she emphasized the need for stronger cross-sectoral cooperation to eradicate online gambling in Indonesia.

She also mentioned that the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Komdigi) needs support from the National Police, the Financial Services Authority, banking, and all digital platforms to combat online gambling.

Furthermore, Komdigi has asked Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube platforms to take greater responsibility by reducing content related to online gambling advertisements.

“Online gambling is prohibited in Indonesia. All parties must have the same moral and legal responsibility,” said Meutya.

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