Parental strategies for guiding children in the digital space
Jakarta — The Ministry of Communication and Digital, together with digital literacy advocates, has shared a range of strategies for parents in guiding children in the digital space, ranging from open communication to the use of monitoring features on devices.
Mediodecci Lustarini, Secretary of the Directorate General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, stated that child supervision practices today cannot be compared to those of the past.
“Supervision is not about being harsh, but rather about accompaniment and communication. Children live in the digital space, so parents must be willing to understand,” she said during a discussion held by the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) at Teater Wahyu Sihombing, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, on Friday (27 February).
She illustrated the implementation of written agreements at home regarding device usage limits and app download rules. These agreements are posted and consistently enforced.
Additionally, parents can utilise parental control features such as Family Link on Android devices and built-in monitoring features on Apple devices.
“If the time limit is exceeded, the device can lock automatically. This helps parents who cannot supervise at all times,” she said.
She also emphasised the importance of accustoming children to request permission before downloading applications or using devices outside the agreed-upon time.
According to Mediodecci, parental responsibilities in the digital era have increased because they must not only ensure formal education but also protect children’s safety and health in their use of technology.
Meanwhile, Indriyatno Banyumurti, Executive Director of ICT Watch, stated that communication is the foundation of digital parenting. He referenced the “7 Steps to Good Digital Parenting” guidelines from the Family Online Safety Institute, explaining that the first step is establishing open communication with children.
“Learning (for parents) is not about chasing after children, but understanding what they are doing in the digital space,” he said.
Indriyatno also highlighted differences in parenting patterns across various regions. During visits to areas such as Indramayu, Bali, and Kupang, he found varying levels of parental understanding of technology, which affects how children are accompanied online.
According to him, this situation demonstrates that digital literacy for parents needs to be adapted to regional contexts and cannot be standardised.
Both experts agreed that regulation and technological features can help, but the key to protecting children remains consistent communication, early habituation, and active parental modelling at home.