Social Media Restrictions: An 'Investment' in Children's Growth and Development

The government’s policy through PP TUNAS, which limits social media access for children under 16 years old, has been welcomed positively by the medical community. Paediatric specialist Dr Ni Luh Sukma Pratiwi Murti views this step as tangible support for children’s health, which forms the primary foundation in the transition to adulthood.

According to her, children’s health is not merely free from illness but encompasses balanced physical, mental, and social well-being. At under 16 years of age, children are in a crucial phase of character formation and brain maturation. Exposure to unfiltered digital content and addictive algorithms is feared to disrupt their focus and developing bodily metabolism.

“To avoid continuous exposure to electronic screens (screen time),” said Dr Ni Luh Sukma Pratiwi Murti when contacted in Denpasar, Bali, last weekend.

The paediatric specialist, who is also a lecturer in the social paediatric growth and development subdivision (TKPS) of the Child Health Specialist Education Programme at Udayana University/Central General Hospital (RSUP) Ngoerah Denpasar, believes parents play a significant role in accompanying their children. The aim is to foster warmer interactions between children and parents amid the presence of information technology.

One of the negative impacts of social media addiction is physical health, such as eye strain from continuous exposure to electronic screens. “Parents also have a role in supervising children’s social media use (screen time),” stated the doctor, who is currently assigned to the National Central General Hospital Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) in Jakarta.

Parents are also expected to actively guide children towards positive and more productive activities to support their growth and development, one of which is through the arts. Beyond children and parents, she hopes that through the government’s regulation, PP Tunas, Indonesia’s electronic system operators (PSE) can be regulated to provide a safe digital space for children.

“So actually, the purpose of PP Tunas is to protect children in the digital space, which has often been problematic, for example with pornography, violence, bullying, and others. So indeed, what should be regulated is not just the children’s side but the digital platforms,” she said.