TII: Child Protection in the Digital Space Requires a Comprehensive Approach

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Social Sector Researcher at The Indonesian Institute (TII), Made Natasya Restu Dewi Pratiwi, has reminded that child protection in the digital space, which is mandated by Government Regulation (PP) Tunas, needs to be carried out with a comprehensive approach to ensure it runs effectively and sustainably.

“Child protection in the digital space is not sufficient just through prohibitions, but requires a combination of regulation, education, supervision, and consistent child accompaniment,” said Natasya when contacted in Jakarta on Monday.

According to her, restricting social media access for children under 16 years old is an important initial step to reduce various risks in the digital space, such as cyberbullying, sexual violence, pornographic content, scams, and digital addiction. Nevertheless, she reminded that the implementation of this policy faces several challenges, both from technical aspects and the ecosystem.

She exemplified that from the technical side, there is potential for age manipulation during account registration as well as the use of virtual private networks (VPN) by children to access restricted platforms. In addition, children also have the potential to shift to other platforms that are less monitored.

Furthermore, she added that access restrictions also need to consider fulfilling children’s rights, including access to information, space for expression, and social support, especially for vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities.

In line with that, Natasya emphasised the importance of strengthening digital literacy for children, parents, teachers, and the community so that technology use can be done safely and responsibly. Next, she reminded the importance of involving children in the formulation and evaluation of policies so that the resulting policies are more responsive to their needs.

She also encouraged strengthening the role of digital platforms in implementing PP Tunas, including through stricter age verification systems, enhancement of child protection features, as well as transparency and accountability in reporting compliance with regulations. She affirmed that a collaborative approach involving government, families, schools, communities, religious figures, to the private sector is key to ensuring optimal policy implementation.