Psychologist: PP Tunas Requires Parental Support to Effectively Protect Children
Batam (ANTARA) - Child psychologist at RS Awal Bros Batam, Maryana, views the implementation of PP Tunas as a positive step in limiting children’s exposure to risky digital content, but it requires active parental involvement at home to operate effectively in protecting children.
PP Tunas, or Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection, is a regulation that officially takes effect from 28 March 2026. The rule limits children under 16 years old from accessing risky content or social media.
Maryana emphasised that regulation alone is insufficient without direct family supervision.
“If there is a rule like this, it is certainly good. The government can limit it from the platform side, but in practice at home, it still needs to be implemented and supervised by parents to truly have an impact,” she said when contacted in Batam on Sunday.
She explained that the use of social media and gadgets in children has a significant impact, dominated by negative effects if uncontrolled.
One of the most common impacts she encounters is the increase in anxiety in children due to excessive exposure to age-inappropriate information.
“Children are exposed to many things that they actually don’t need to know yet. If excessive, they become anxious, even overly so because of consuming unscreened information,” she said.
“They see what is on social media as full truth, then compare themselves. This can lead to anxiety and even depression,” she added.
“In Batam, anxiety among teenagers and pre-teens is quite high. Even now, at younger ages, around 7 years old, some are already experiencing anxiety. This is related to excessive gadget use,” she said.
According to her, gadget addiction is also starting to disrupt children’s daily lives, such as decreased interest in school, reluctance to leave the house, and uncontrolled emotions.
To support the implementation of the regulation, Maryana emphasised the importance of discipline in gadget use at home.
“If they are still young, it’s best not to give them personal mobile phones or gadgets. If needed, just borrow from parents. After finished, return it,” she said.
In addition, parents also need to set usage time limits and encourage children to engage in other activities off-screen.
She added that giving personal gadgets from an early age has now become common in Batam, even from ages 4 to 5 years.
“This needs to be controlled. If for learning, it’s okay, but after finished, it must be collected back. Children need to understand that it is not theirs and the gadget is only for educational purposes at school and home,” she said.