Batam Mayor says PP Tunas protects children to become resilient generation

Batam (ANTARA) - Batam Mayor Amsakar Achmad views the implementation of Government Regulation (PP) No. 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas) as essential for safeguarding children to grow and develop optimally into a resilient generation for the nation.

The substance of the PP is to prevent misuse of digitalisation developments. Our children must be protected to become a strong generation in the future,” he said in Batam, Riau Islands (Kepri), on Friday.

He explained the importance of this policy in protecting children from the negative impacts of digital technology developments.

PP Tunas will take effect on 28 March 2026, one of which regulates restrictions on access for children under 16 years old to risky content and social media.

This policy also receives support from technology companies, such as Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, which has begun restricting access for children on its platforms starting on Thursday (9/4).

The success of this policy greatly depends on joint roles from the government, schools, and parents. There must be collectivity and cooperation,” he said.

He emphasised that the family environment plays the greatest role in shaping children’s character, as children spend most of their time at home.

The government will certainly conduct socialisation. We will convey it in every meeting. But at home, it is under the control of parents. We cannot intervene to that extent,” he said.

Amsakar also reminded the importance of understanding children’s developmental stages, both in affective, motor, and psychomotor aspects, to avoid mistakes in parenting patterns and learning processes.

There is an age when children still need to play, then there is an age when they start learning. In that, there is a transformation of children’s values such as independence and socialisation skills,” he said.

According to him, children’s character is formed by four main factors, namely the natural environment, family, peers, and educational institutions.

With PP Tunas, the Batam City Government hopes that child protection in the digital space can be even more optimal, while forming an independent and characterful generation.