IDAI Supports Social Media Restrictions, Children Deemed Unready to Face Digital World Risks

As the Tunas Government Regulation (PP) comes into effect, the Indonesian Paediatric Society (IDAI) has expressed its support for the policy restricting children’s access to social media. IDAI considers this step crucial for protecting children from various risks in the digital space, including impacts on mental health and emotional development. “The Indonesian Paediatric Society supports the government’s restriction of social media for children through PP Tunas,” IDAI stated in a post on its official Instagram account @idai_ig. However, various risks must be guarded against, ranging from exposure to age-inappropriate content to potential mental health disruptions. IDAI portrays social media as a “vast ocean” that offers numerous benefits alongside risks for children. “Social media is a vast ocean. There, children can learn, share, interact, and explore a larger world,” IDAI wrote. Yet, IDAI adds that behind these opportunities lie dangers, including exposure to age-inappropriate content and unsupervised interactions that can affect children’s emotional and behavioural development. Many children are still in the stage of learning to recognise dangers, protect themselves, and manage emotions while interacting in the virtual world. “The problem is, children have proven not ready to navigate it alone,” IDAI added. Furthermore, limitations in supervision pose a particular challenge for parents. Not all children can be accompanied at all times, and not all families have equal capacity to monitor social media use. This situation leaves some children more vulnerable to the negative impacts of unsupervised social media usage.