Schools urged to reinforce responsible gadget use culture

He emphasized that the PP Tunas regulation does not prohibit the use of gadgets but limits their use according to students’ developmental stages so that devices support, rather than hinder, the learning process.

“We conveyed several ministerial policies related to safe and comfortable schools, as well as the socialization of PP Tunas on positive gadget use and its limitations by encouraging schools to strengthen supervision of screen time, screen zone, and screen break,” Mu’ti said here on Monday.

The Tunas Regulation refers to Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 on the Protection of Electronic System Governance for Child Protection.

He made this statement after providing Rp75 million in education quality improvement assistance at public elementary school SDN 8 Depok Baru, Depok City, West Java.

He noted that the ministry fully supports the regulation, as Indonesia records high internet usage intensity of around 7.3 hours per day, making it necessary to limit students’ gadget use according to their age and development.

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The ministry observed that many students under 18 have been involved in criminal cases, both online, such as online gambling, and offline, including violence among students linked to excessive and irresponsible gadget use.

Such conditions, he added, can hinder students’ physical, emotional, and social development as well as their learning process.

“Many children, due to their lack of awareness, fall into online gambling or other crimes introduced by irresponsible parties through various social media services. Therefore, we call for the development of healthy physical, intellectual, moral, and social lifestyles,” Mu’ti said.

He added that many schools have already implemented restrictions, ranging from banning gadgets in classrooms to allowing limited use only for accessing learning materials.

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Translator: Hana, Kenzu