Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs Promotes Physical Activity as Alternative to Gadgets for Children

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) is inviting children to increase physical activity as an alternative to gadget use while preventing the negative impacts of digital platforms through the ‘Tunas Jakarta’ (Wait Until Children Are Ready) programme.

Head of the Human Resources Development Agency at Kemkomdigi, Bonifasius Wahyu Pudjianto, stated that children are currently very active in the digital space, with screen exposure reaching up to 7.5 hours per day. “They are very active in the digital space, even up to around 7.5 hours per day. We continue to support their return to physical interaction. It is important for children to learn to play, make friends, and get to know the physical world,” Bonifasius said during the launch of Tunas Jakarta in South Jakarta on Friday.

Bonifasius noted that children are growing up in two different spaces: the real world and the digital world. Amid high levels of gadget use, the Tunas Jakarta programme was introduced as an effort to encourage children to interact again in the real world through various physical activities.

With the principle of ‘Wait Until Children Are Ready’, Boni emphasised that the programme is not intended to restrict children’s access to technology, but rather to ensure they enter the digital space when they are truly ready in terms of age, emotional maturity, and understanding of the risks. “Wait Until Children Are Ready does not mean hindering children or making them fall behind. On the contrary, we want to ensure children enter the digital space when they are truly ready,” he said.

Meanwhile, Special Staff to the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs for Youth and Start Ups, Alfreno Kautsar Ramadhan, said the programme is a response to parents’ concerns about finding alternative activities for children after restrictions on digital platform access are implemented. “We want to provide an alternative. We have always encouraged awareness of the risks in the digital world, but we also need to promote the alternatives,” he stated.

Tunas Jakarta featured various physical activities, including games and sports, held at Taman Bendera Pusaka in South Jakarta. Alfreno stressed that the programme is not designed to distance children from technology or sever their connection with the digital world. Instead, it aims to encourage the public to build a balance between activities in the digital space and the physical space, especially for children. “We want to inform the public that the digital space is good, but parental supervision is still necessary, and we also need connections in public and physical spaces,” he said.

Looking ahead, Kemkomdigi is open to collaborating with provincial and other regional governments to organise similar programmes. “This is the first event and it runs for two days. Going forward, we are exploring which provincial or regional governments are interested in collaborating,” Alfreno added.