Gus Ipul: Addressing Children's Mental Health Is a Constitutional Mandate
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, emphasised that addressing mental health problems among children and adolescents is a duty of the state mandated by the constitution. He argued that protecting children’s mental health cannot be viewed as a policy option but as the state’s responsibility.
He made the remarks at the Ministerial Level Meeting (RTM) on Synchronisation and Coordination of the Control, Prevention, and Handling of Mental Health Issues among Children and Adolescents at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) in central Jakarta on Thursday, 5 March 2026. The meeting was chaired by the Coordinating Minister for PMK, Pratikno, and attended by seven ministries and the Indonesian Police.
‘Protecting children’s mental health is not a policy option. It is a state obligation,’ Gus Ipul said.
He explained that the obligation is grounded in several regulations, including Article 28(2) of the 1945 Constitution, Law No. 4 of 1979 on the Welfare of Children, Law No. 35 of 2014 on Child Protection, and Government Regulation No. 78 of 2021 on Special Protection of Children.
During the meeting, Gus Ipul presented data showing rising mental health issues among children and adolescents. Based on compilations from WHO, UNICEF, Polri, and national sources, around one in seven children and adolescents experience mental health disorders, with more than 50 per cent of mental disorders beginning by age 14.
Additionally, about one in 20 adolescents show signs of depression, and one in three adolescents face mental health issues, yet only 26 per cent access counselling services.
Other data indicate one in seven adolescents experience physical, emotional, or sexual violence. About 48 per cent of children experience cyberbullying, while 90 per cent of adolescents who are online daily face risks of digital exploitation.
He also highlighted rising suicide cases among children, from 604 cases in 2022 to 1,498 cases in 2024.
‘These figures are not merely statistics. They are social alarms,’ he said.
Based on assessments by the Ministry of Social Affairs through the Family Hope Programme (PKH) and the People’s School (Sekolah Rakyat), many children with mental health problems come from families facing various issues, such as extreme poverty, domestic violence, neglect, family conflicts, and school dropouts.
In the learning processes at Sekolah Rakyat, some children display aggressive behaviour, withdrawal, smartphone addiction, and depressive symptoms.
‘In short, troubled children usually come from troubled families,’ he said.
Therefore, according to Gus Ipul, addressing the issue requires more than focusing on the child. Improving the family ecosystem must be part of the solution.
He called for preventive steps through strengthening controls over content that is unfriendly to children in digital spaces, improving digital literacy, professional social work guidance for parenting, and strengthening families as the first environment safeguarding children’s mental health.
‘If we are serious about saving the younger generation, prevention must be the main thrust,’ he added.
The meeting was attended by, among others, the Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifatul Fauzi, Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid, Education and Culture Minister Abdul Mu’ti, Minister for Population and Family Development/BKKBN Wihaji, and Inspector General Wahyu Widada of the Indonesian Police.
The gathering yielded a joint agreement among ministries and agencies to strengthen preventive measures and the handling of mental health problems among children and adolescents.