Alarm Bells Ring as 200,000 Indonesian Children are Exposed to Online Gambling
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Arifah Fauzi, has expressed concern over the increasing exposure of children to online gambling (judol). Arifah stated that this situation is a serious warning that the digital space still poses various threats to the growth and safety of children.
According to data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, approximately 200,000 Indonesian children have been exposed to online gambling. According to Arifah, this is a serious threat to children’s right to live, grow, develop, and receive protection from various forms of exploitation in the digital space.
“Strengthening child protection in the online realm must be a priority for all of us. Children’s involvement in online gambling cannot be seen as merely a behavioral issue, but rather as a form of child vulnerability to exploitation and digital risks that require comprehensive, systematic, and collaborative handling,” said Arifah in a statement on Saturday (May 16, 2026).
Arifah believes that children are a very vulnerable group to various forms of digital exploitation. Moreover, the characteristics of the digital world, which is fast, open, and massive, make children easily exposed to gambling content through disguised advertisements, digital games containing gambling, influencer promotions, and digital transactions whose risks are not understood by children.
“In many cases, children do not yet have adequate capacity to understand the legal, social, and psychological consequences of online gambling activities. Therefore, the protection approach cannot only rely on legal action, but must be strengthened through prevention efforts, education, monitoring, and continuous support,” said Arifah.
Arifah believes that this phenomenon further emphasizes the urgency of implementing the Presidential Regulation on the Roadmap for Child Protection in the Online Realm (PARD) as a national policy direction in creating a safe and child-friendly digital ecosystem. As part of the implementation of PARD, the Ministry of PPPA continues to strengthen cross-sectoral synergy.
In the context of monitoring the digital space, the Ministry of PPPA supports accelerating the blocking of access to online gambling content and strengthening the system for detecting and reporting content that may be harmful to children.
“At the same time, we encourage increased digital literacy so that children have the ability to think critically and are able to use technology responsibly,” said Arifah.
For children who are victims of online gambling, the Ministry of PPPA encourages strengthening cross-sectoral support and referral services. The approach used places children as victims who must be protected, recovered, and supported without stigma.
“Indonesian children must grow in a digital space that is safe, healthy, inclusive, and free from exploitation,” said Arifah.