Education Minister: Identity Forgery a Challenge to Rules on Children's Gadget Use
Education Minister for Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti acknowledged there are technical challenges in implementing the rule restricting gadget use for children, particularly related to the potential for identity forgery when creating social media accounts. This was in response to the issuance of Minister of Communications and Digital Regulation No. 9 of 2026 as the implementing regulation related to the Governance of Electronic System Management in Child Protection, or known as PP TUNAS.
Mu’ti said the government fundamentally appreciates the regulation as it aims to protect children from the negative impacts of gadget and internet use. However, he judged that its on-the-ground implementation would not be free of technical hurdles.
“Indeed the challenge lies in the technical execution, especially to ensure that they do not falsify personal identity when creating social media accounts. Therefore, what is needed, first, is parental supervision, including awareness of age,” Mu’ti said in central Jakarta, as reported by Antara, on Sunday (8/3).
He said parental supervision is a crucial factor for the rule to run effectively. Without family involvement, children could still access social media by falsifying their ages when creating accounts.
Nevertheless, Mu’ti hopes the regulation will help prevent gadget misuse among children and foster a healthier internet usage culture.
“We hope this saves the younger generation from gadget abuse and also internet usage that is not educational and not in line with the nation’s culture and civilisation,” he said.
Mu’ti explained that restricting gadget use for children is part of a cross-ministry effort to protect the younger generation from the effects of excessive digital device use.
“So we strongly support and appreciate the issuance of the Minister of Communications and Digital Regulation on restricting gadget use for those under 16. It is part of a cross-ministerial effort to ensure children develop good habits and are protected from heavy gadget use.”
Mu’ti added that gadget use also has positive aspects for children, particularly in supporting learning processes. Digital devices can widen access to various online learning resources.
However, he emphasised the importance of supervision and education from parents and teachers so that children use gadgets wisely.
Besides supervision, education on safe social media use and the minimum age for creating accounts is also deemed important to prevent technology abuse among children.
(tis/tis)