Social Media Rules for Children Take Effect, Parents Also Call for Stricter Content Filtering

BEKASI, KOMPAS.com – A number of parents in Bekasi have positively welcomed the implementation of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on the Governance of Electronic System Operators in Child Protection (PP Tunas), which began to be enforced on Saturday (28/3/2026). However, they also emphasised that the government should not only focus on access restrictions but also tighten content filtering or filters on various platforms. One Bekasi resident, Erick Kustara (44), stated that the policy is important but needs to be accompanied by stricter content monitoring by the government. “I consider this social media restriction to be very useful. But please, Komdigi should also carry out filtering. Which contents need to be blocked, and should not be presented because they can damage the nation’s regeneration,” said Erick when met in the area of Patriot Chandrabaga Stadium on Saturday. He assessed that several popular applications like Roblox, Twitter, and TikTok have more harmful impacts than benefits for children. He also highlighted children’s high curiosity, which often leads them to try various applications without parental supervision. “Children have high curiosity. So applications that shouldn’t be downloaded are still tried,” he said. However, time limitations often become an obstacle in that supervision. “But it comes back to the parents in the form of supervision. The problem is, parents also have time limitations. They can’t always monitor their children,” he said. He mentioned that children often take advantage of gaps when parents are not at home to use gadgets freely. Children tend to delay obligations because they are too engrossed with digital devices. He even gave a personal example when his child experienced health problems due to using a mobile phone for too long.