Parliament Member Calls for Immediate Technical Guidelines on Social Media Restrictions for Minors

Jakarta — A member of Commission X in the Indonesian Parliament, Abdul Fikri Faqih, has requested that the government immediately establish implementing and technical guidelines concerning the implementation of social media access restrictions for children under 16 years old.

“We will also need clear implementing and technical guidelines so that we do not inadvertently remove positive content as well,” Fikri said when met at a discussion and joint breaking-of-fast event in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, broadly speaking, Fikri said his commission welcomed the policy set out in Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Management of Electronic System Operations in Child Protection (PP TUNAS).

“I think that we on Commission X are responding positively. Yes, although it is late, it is better late than never,” he said.

Furthermore, Fikri reminded the government that in future it needs to respond quickly to existing problems, particularly those concerning children and education.

According to him, thus far the government has tended to implement policies of prohibition or punishment after a problem emerges.

However, Fikri believes that more important steps need to be taken, such as in the matter of digitalisation, which is to provide guidelines that allow children to use digital media wisely.

Previously, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen) Abdul Mu’ti had stated his support for and appreciation of the issuance of Communication and Digital Ministry Regulation Number 9 of 2026 as the implementing rule related to the Management of PP TUNAS.

He said the issuance of the regulation is part of cross-ministerial synergy to ensure that children develop good habits and are protected from excessive device use, or even device addiction.

He stated that the use of devices by children can actually have a positive impact on each child’s learning process, such as providing access to online learning material sources.

However, he said that the implementation of the regulation will certainly not be free from a number of technical challenges, including how to ensure that children under 16 years of age do not forge their personal identity when creating social media accounts.

For this reason, he emphasised the need for strict supervision and massive education from parents and teachers regarding the use of devices and social media by children, including minimum age limits for creating accounts.