PP Tunas is Not the End: The State Restricts, Families Must Supervise

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian government has officially banned the use of social media for children under 16 years old through the issuance of Government Regulation (PP) Number 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic System Operators in Child Protection, or PP Tunas. Digital platforms covered include TikTok, X, Instagram, the online game Roblox, and the like. Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid stated that the TikTok digital platform has deactivated 780,000 user accounts known to be under 16 years old as of 10 April 2026, following the issuance of the PP. Nevertheless, government regulations alone are insufficient if not accompanied by supervision and guidance from the child’s closest environment, particularly family and parents. This is because, without supervision, children can find loopholes through borrowed accounts, fake identities, or using other people’s devices. Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifatul Choiri Fauzi stated that parents play a significant role in implementing PP Tunas, one of which is through nurturing and accompanying roles. This role can be carried out by regulating children’s interaction time in the digital world, so that children do not become addicted to playing gadgets, especially after PP Tunas comes into effect. “It is hoped that scheduling is done through discussions with the children, so that the arrangement of activities in the virtual world becomes a mutual agreement between parents and children,” said Arifah to Kompas.com on Friday (17/4/2026). Joint activities can include many things. One of them is sharing stories or playing together for young children. It can also be done by worshipping together. “And for teenagers, it can involve discussions, joint worship, gardening, cooking, and so on,” Arifah added. Arifah explained that these joint activities with children can enhance bonding or attachment between children and parents. This attachment, according to Arifah, is needed by children during their growth period. “Of course, parental commitment is also needed to set aside gadgets for a moment or reduce gadget use so that there is more interaction with the children,” she said.