Parents advised to use apps to monitor internet usage

The South Jakarta Sub-District Office for Child Empowerment, Protection, and Population Control (Sudin PPAPP) advises parents to utilise digital monitoring applications recommended by the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) to oversee their children’s internet usage. “We are educating parents to monitor their children through parental control applications prepared for both Android and iOS,” stated the Head of Sudin PPAPP South Jakarta, Rizky Hamid, when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday. Rizky mentioned that the Komdigi-recommended applications, such as Google Family Link (Android/iOS), Apple Screen Time (iOS), YouTube Kids Mode, TikTok Family Pairing, and Roblox Parental Controls, can be downloaded via mobile phones. He assessed that digital literacy is an important component in educating students to use gadgets and the internet more wisely. Therefore, the role of socialisation to students and parents is needed so that they have the same understanding in using technology. “Monitoring internet usage remains in the hands of parents,” he said. The socialisation is part of the latest programme from Sudin PPAPP Jaksel, which will soon release “Jaga Anak Jaksel Asli” for safety, health, and literacy. This step aligns with the implementation of PP Tunas, which emphasises the importance of child protection in the digital space through the active role of families and the utilisation of monitoring technology. “In the implementation of PP Tunas, we in South Jakarta will soon release a new programme called Jaga Anak Jaksel Asli (Safe, Healthy, Literate),” he stated. Thus, it is hoped that the utilisation of applications through this socialisation can help parents in accompanying children in the digital space while preventing the negative impacts of internet usage. “The hope is that children can use the internet positively, and parents are also more involved in monitoring gadget usage,” he added.