Researcher: Local Governments Must Actively Realise a Healthy Generation in the Digital Era

Tangerang - A public policy researcher from the Institute for Development of Policy and Local Partnership (IDP-LP), Riko Noviantoro, stated that the government must play an active role and involve various parties in realising a healthy generation in the digital era following the introduction of Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Protection and Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas).

Contacted on Sunday, the public policy researcher at IDP-LP, Riko Noviantoro, said that local government involvement could include socialisation and creating follow-up regulations after the PP, turning it into a collective movement.

“Local governments can activate the role of RT/RW in limiting children’s exposure to the digital world through literacy and so on. Thus, the goal of realising a healthy generation in the digital era can be achieved,” said Riko.

He explained that this regulation is quite comprehensive in its content as it involves various parties in restricting digital usage for children, so it needs broad support.

“The government has the task of instilling healthy, good, and moral behaviour in the generation. This concept is then known as public shaping behaviour. Nevertheless, the challenge lies in the commitment of the relevant parties to realise a healthy generation in the digital era,” he stated.

Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid emphasised that the presence of Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Protection and Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas) is an urgency for Indonesia because it can safeguard privacy while protecting children’s data in the digital space.

With the enforcement of PP Tunas, effective from 28 March 2026, it is hoped that in the future there will be no more children disadvantaged due to their rights not being protected in the digital space.

It is recorded that up to the day before the implementation of PP Tunas, precisely on 27 March 2026 at 21:30 WIB, only two digital platforms, namely X and Bigo Live, have full compliance with PP Tunas.

Meanwhile, TikTok and Roblox are categorised as platforms that are partially cooperative with PP Tunas. Then, four other platforms—Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and YouTube—still do not meet the provisions of PP Tunas.