At UN forum, Indonesia pushes for global AI rules to protect children

At the first United Nations forum specifically addressing AI governance, Indonesia urged that child protection be made a core principle in the formulation of global artificial intelligence rules. Unlike many countries still developing AI policy frameworks, Indonesia came to the forum with practical experience through Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on Electronic System Governance in Child Protection (PP TUNAS). “This dialogue is an important opportunity to build inclusive, human-centred, development-oriented global AI governance, strengthened through international cooperation,” said Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. She made the remarks while representing President Prabowo Subianto at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva on Tuesday (7/7). In the forum, Indonesia proposed the establishment of a global coalition that places the best interests of children as a priority in the development and use of AI. Indonesia also pushed for cross-border regulatory harmonisation and the formulation of international standards capable of protecting children from algorithmic exploitation without hindering innovation and digital transformation. Therefore, Indonesia believes that global AI governance must be able to address the various gaps still faced by many countries, ranging from access to cutting-edge AI technology, digital infrastructure, data governance, and human resource capacity, to financing. “AI must be an instrument of inclusive development, not just a technology enjoyed by developed countries,” Meutya stressed. The regulation is designed to ensure that the use of AI is responsible, transparent, trustworthy, and keeps humans at the centre of decision-making. Indonesia also introduced PP TUNAS as an example of good practice in protecting children in the digital space. The regulation, enacted by President Prabowo Subianto in March 2025, strengthens child protection by restricting access to high-risk digital platforms for users under the age of 16. This experience demonstrates that national regulation can go hand in hand with technological innovation without hindering digital transformation. Indonesia also asserted that global AI governance should be built on the principle of interoperability, rather than uniformity of rules. Given the varying levels of readiness and development needs in each country, a flexible framework with strong protection standards is required. To this end, Indonesia encouraged strengthening international cooperation through capacity building, technology partnerships, access to cloud computing, the development of AI models based on local languages, and financing mechanisms that can broaden the equitable distribution of AI benefits for all countries.