Government to study impact of child protection rule
“The indicators include the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep quality, daily screen time, cyberbullying incidents, access to mental health services, and family well-being,” Director of Health Services for Vulnerable Groups at the Ministry of Health, Imran Pambudi, said in Jakarta on Saturday.
PP Tunas, which took effect on March 28, 2026, is part of the government’s efforts to safeguard children’s privacy and personal data.
The regulation restricts children’s access to high-risk platforms. In its initial phase, eight platforms are targeted: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
Amid rapid technological advances and widespread social media use, the government has underscored the urgent need for digital platforms to protect children online.
He said the study, planned by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, will include a baseline assessment, a six- to 12-month follow-up, and a midterm evaluation over 24 months.
The study will adopt a mixed-methods approach to capture changes in mental health symptoms, sleep patterns, content exposure, and social impacts.
Pambudi said restrictions on children’s social media use are intended to protect their mental health, as their brains are still developing and remain vulnerable.
He cited data from Menur Mental Hospital in Surabaya, showing a sharp increase in cases related to pornography exposure and online gaming among children between 2022 and 2025.
Cases of pornography exposure rose from 27 in 2022 to 133 in 2025, while online gaming-related cases increased from 74 to 360 over the same period.
According to him, these trends may reflect shifting usage patterns or increased reporting, both of which require immediate attention, particularly in strengthening preventive measures, digital literacy, and reporting mechanisms to better protect children and adolescents.
He added that social media platforms provide fast, measurable rewards. Likes, comments, and follower counts function as “micro-rewards” that the brain interprets as important social signals.
Pambudi noted that such exposure may lead to structural and functional changes in brain regions responsible for self-control, emotion, and reward processing. In several respects, these changes resemble patterns observed in substance use or gambling addiction.
He further said that recent meta-analyses and longitudinal studies have found a correlation between early exposure to social media and an increased risk of psychological disorders in late adolescence, primarily mediated by interpersonal distrust, sleep disturbances, and negative self-image.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Raka Adji