700,000 Children Show Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety, Indonesian Paediatricians Association Highlights Social Media Influence

Indonesia’s Free Health Check Programme (CKG) for the 2025–2026 period has identified indications of mental health problems in nearly 10 per cent of Indonesian children. From approximately 7 million children screened, the Ministry of Health detected 700,000 exhibiting symptoms of anxiety and depression.

In response, Dr Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, head of the Indonesian Paediatricians Association (IDAI), attributed the high prevalence of mental health problems in children significantly to social media influence. According to him, social media can have particularly negative effects on children who frequently experience loneliness.

He explained that children who feel lonely and receive insufficient parental attention tend to vent their feelings on social media. This condition can exacerbate distress and eventually lead to depression.

“In children who are lonely, who do not have real-world friends to confide in, whose parents are preoccupied, children without friends cannot express their turmoil. Ultimately, that distress is vented on social media, and this can lead to depression,” Dr Piprim said during an interview at the Central Vaccination Centre in East Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

To prevent depression in children, Dr Piprim called on parents to be more proactive in their parenting approach. He argued that the best parenting style is when parents can be friends to their children.

“The essence is how children can have someone to confide in, ideally their parents. So parenting methods need to be corrected—how parents can become their child’s friend,” Dr Piprim said.