Ministry of Social Affairs Restricts Mobile Phone Use in People's Schools in Line with PP Tunas

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) is tightening the implementation of policies restricting mobile phone use for students in People’s Schools as a follow-up to the enactment of Government Regulation (PP) Number 17/2025 on Child Protection in the Digital Space, or PP Tunas. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, when met in Jakarta on Tuesday, emphasised that the policy aims to create a quality learning environment for children under 16 years old to avoid the negative impacts of information technology. He explained that to support the learning process, students are directed to use laptop devices whose internet access has been protected and strictly limited to only educational content. Moreover, as a commitment to strengthening the implementation of PP Tunas, Saifullah assured that his side is conducting supervision and socialisation together with the heads of People’s Schools to synchronise the operational technical guidelines (Juknis) in the field so that they align with the mandate issued by the president. These steps are taken to anticipate threats in the digital space, such as cyberbullying, scams, and exposure to violent and pornographic content, as also regulated in Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Regulation Number 9/2026. “Our children need guidance to be ready to receive information that requires the ability to select and filter. They must understand what is true news, what is hoaxes, and what content violates ethics,” he stated. As is known, Government Regulation Number 17/2025 on the Protection and Governance of Electronic System Operators in Child Protection or PP Tunas officially came into effect starting Saturday, 28 March 2026, after being issued by President Prabowo Subianto on 28 March 2026. Provisions in 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, and exposure to negative content like pornography and content featuring violence. Meanwhile, the technical rules for implementing PP Tunas are contained in Ministry of Communication and Digital Regulation Number 9/2026.