Expert: Children's social media restrictions require child-friendly facilities
Purwokerto (ANTARA) - Public policy expert from Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (Unsoed) in Purwokerto, Tobirin, assesses that the policy of restricting social media for children needs to be balanced with the provision of child-friendly facilities to ensure its effective implementation, particularly in regions.
“This policy is positive, as it relates to the Child Protection Law and its derivatives, including Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025, commonly referred to as PP Tunas, to protect children from violence, sexual violence, and negative influences such as pornography,” Tobirin said when contacted in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, on Sunday.
According to him, the policy that has begun to be implemented demonstrates the government’s seriousness in protecting children in the digital space, in line with the global trend towards restricting social media use for children.
The high dependence of children on gadgets and the still limited digital literacy in society are factors that need serious attention.
He stated that the success of public policy is largely determined by two main aspects: bureaucratic structure and effective communication.
From the bureaucratic structure side, he said, local governments need to involve various stakeholders, such as the Education Office, schools, and families.
The role of teachers from primary to secondary school levels is considered important in providing understanding of digital literacy, media safety (digital safety), and the wise and responsible use of social media.
In addition, policy communication must also be carried out massively down to the grassroots level.
He assessed that socialisation should not stop at the central level but must reach the wider community through media, educational institutions, and family environments.
He emphasised the importance of the family’s role as the closest environment to children.
According to him, parents have a significant responsibility in providing understanding of the impacts of excessive social media use and in supervising children’s digital activities.
He assessed that local governments need to provide alternative activities for children through the development of child-friendly public facilities.
The existence of city parks, play spaces, and reading gardens is seen as a solution to reduce children’s dependence on gadgets.
“Child-friendly facilities are important so that children have healthy and enjoyable activity options without always having to rely on gadgets,” he said.
He encouraged the involvement of social institutions to revive traditional games and develop engaging literacy activities for children with more creative and modern approaches.
According to him, social media restriction policies are not sufficient with just prohibitions but must be accompanied by adequate ecosystem support, from education, provision of facilities, to involvement of families and communities.
“This is not just an instruction, but requires synergy among various parties so that the goal of protecting children can be achieved optimally,” Tobirin said.
Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Protection of Governance in the Management of Electronic Systems for Child Protection (PP Tunas) officially takes effect from Saturday, 28 March 2026, after being issued by President Prabowo Subianto on 28 March 2025.
Provisions in the PP Tunas that are officially in effect include regulating restrictions on access to digital platforms for children under 16 years old.
The regulation is expected to protect children from potential threats in the digital space, such as cyberbullying, digital scams, exposure to negative content like pornography, and content featuring violence.
Meanwhile, the technical implementation rules for PP Tunas are contained in Minister of Communication and Digital Regulation Number 9 of 2026.