Researcher: PP Tunas Becomes Pioneer of Regulatory Firmness in Southeast Asia
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Researcher from Australia’s Digital Media Research Center (DMRC), Albertus Magnus Prestianta, stated that Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas) serves as a pioneer of regulatory firmness in Southeast Asia.
“Technically, the implementation of PP Tunas is a pioneer of regulatory firmness in the Southeast Asian region. Meanwhile, in Australia, social media age restrictions have been in place since 10 December 2025,” he said when contacted by ANTARA from Jakarta on Thursday.
According to Albertus, Indonesia is relatively more prepared than other countries in Southeast Asia regarding social media age restriction regulations, as it has been discussed since 2024, enacted in 2025, and implemented in early 2026.
Albertus also explained that Indonesia is one of the most progressive countries in Southeast Asia for child protection in the digital world through PP Tunas, which was enacted in March 2025 and will be implemented gradually starting from 28 March 2026.
Indonesia’s journey in drafting this regulation, he said, demonstrates the government’s commitment and seriousness in protecting the younger generation.
“This step shows a serious commitment to protecting the younger generation from threats of cyberbullying, pornographic content, and digital addiction,” he stated.
Additionally, Albertus noted that other countries in Southeast Asia are heading in the same direction as Indonesia, including Malaysia with its Online Safety Act, which will be implemented in mid-2026.
“Malaysia is also heading in the same direction to protect Malaysian society with the Online Safety Act, but for children and adolescents under 16 years old, it will only be implemented in mid-2026. Meanwhile, Singapore is still studying the effectiveness of social media ban policies in Australia and Indonesia,” explained the lecturer from Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN).
He said Malaysia is following a similar step through the Online Safety Act 2025, which has been in effect since 1 January 2026.
“However, law enforcement specifically for age restrictions under 16 years old is planned to be fully tightened in mid-2026 in line with the readiness of the electronic identity verification system (e-KYC),” he continued.
Meanwhile, Albertus conveyed that Singapore is taking a different approach by focusing on regulations for online app stores to tighten download access for minors.
“Singapore is taking a different approach; instead of imposing a total ban, Singapore focuses on regulating app stores, such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store, to tighten download access for children under age while still monitoring the effectiveness of policies in Australia and Indonesia,” he said.