Tri Tito: Child Protection in the Digital Era Cannot Rely Solely on Parents

Tri Tito Karnavian, Chair of the Daily Board of the National Crafts Council (Dekranas), has said that child protection in the digital era cannot be left to parents alone.

According to him, the involvement of various parties is needed — from families and schools to government, digital platform providers and society — to create a safe digital space for children.

“We hope many parties will play a role: parents as the primary companions, schools through digital literacy education, the government as the maker of regulations and legal protection, and digital platform providers offering safety features for children,” said Tri while attending the Family Tunas Craft Creation Workshop, themed “Weaving Warmth in the Digital Era”, held in the Atrium Lobby of Trans Studio Makassar, South Sulawesi Province, on Thursday (9/7/2026).

According to a written statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the event formed part of a series of activities marking Dekranas’s 46th anniversary.

Tri said developments in information technology have brought many benefits for children, including supporting learning, developing creativity and skills, and facilitating access to information and communication.

However, that convenience is also accompanied by various risks, such as exposure to age-inappropriate content, cyberbullying, online harassment, online fraud and the misuse of personal data.

For that reason, he said, child protection in the digital space must be carried out collectively by strengthening the role of every stakeholder.

Beyond building a digital protection ecosystem, Tri reminded the audience of the importance of maintaining the quality of family interactions. In his view, increasingly intensive gadget use must not reduce the closeness between parents and children.

“It means we should draw closer — those who are close should not be distanced, and those who are far should indeed be brought closer, but that does not mean we distance those who are close,” he said.

Parental guidance remains the primary foundation in shaping healthy digital habits. He therefore encouraged parents to provide supervision, deliver digital literacy education, make use of parental control features, limit gadget usage time, and teach etiquette and safety in the digital world.

“We are very grateful to all parties who have cooperated in this activity, and to the wider community who wish to gain insight into how we can all use information technology wisely and responsibly in this digital era,” he said.