Division of Roles Between PP Tunas and Families

The Indonesian government has issued Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on Child Governance and Protection in the Digital Space (PP Tunas) as a response to the increasing involvement of children in digital ecosystems. This regulation will take effect in March-April 2026 and governs various aspects of child protection, from age verification and content moderation to the obligations of digital platforms to provide parental control features. Broadly speaking, PP Tunas is designed to create a safer digital space for children. The government mandates that service providers such as social media, online games, and streaming platforms take greater responsibility for the content consumed by children. This step includes restricting access to age-inappropriate content, protecting personal data, and providing rapid responses to reports of violations such as cyberbullying and exploitation. However, the existence of this regulation also highlights an undeniable reality: Indonesian children are inseparable from their gadgets. The government is no longer at the stage of preventing exposure but rather managing its impacts. In this context, PP Tunas serves as an instrument to regulate an already established environment, rather than reshaping habits from the beginning. This approach is evident in the policy’s focus, which primarily targets digital platforms. Age verification is tightened to prevent children from accessing adult features, algorithms and advertisements must be filtered, and service providers are required to introduce parental control features. Additionally, the regulation emphasises the importance of digital literacy for families. On the other hand, there is a group of children who do not fully rely on gadgets themselves. They still engage in physical activities, read books, and interact directly with their social environment. In such conditions, the need for strict regulation in the digital space becomes relatively different. This difference raises a question about whether PP Tunas is needed by all children? Or only for those who have already become dependent on phones and tablets? Recommendations from international health organisations provide a clearer picture of healthy gadget usage patterns. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) suggest that children aged zero to two years should not be exposed to screens at all, except for brief video calls from parents. For ages two to five years, usage is limited to a maximum of one hour per day with parental supervision and quality content. Entering ages six to 12 years, gadget usage is allowed gradually and on a scheduled basis, with an emphasis on balancing digital and non-digital activities. For ages 13 to 15 years, children can begin using gadgets independently with strict supervision, while full ownership, including social media accounts, is only recommended from age 16 upwards.