West Java Legislator Champions Bylaw to Restrict Children's Social Media Use

Cimahi (ANTARA) - Siti Muntamah, a legislator on Commission V of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), is championing a draft regional regulation (Raperda) on limiting social media use by children, as an effort to strengthen child protection amid the rapid development of the digital space.

Speaking in Cimahi on Wednesday, Siti Muntamah said the regulation was proposed not to restrict children’s creativity, but to provide protection so they can grow and develop according to their age.

She observed that life on social media and real life now have almost no boundaries, so the information conveyed by the media strongly influences society’s outlook, including that of children.

“Today, life on social media and real life have virtually no distance between them. What the media conveys will greatly influence society’s perspective. Therefore, the media must present information that educates, validates facts, provides knowledge, and offers inspiration,” she said.

She added that West Java has around 12.3 million families that form the foundation of regional development, so strengthening family resilience needs to be pursued across economic, social, educational and religious aspects in order to produce a generation that is excellent and competitive.

As a member of Commission V of the West Java DPRD, she affirmed her commitment to supporting the various programmes of the West Java Agency for Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection and Family Planning (DP3AKB) through strengthening both budgets and regulation.

According to her, the Raperda is expected to serve as a foundation for creating a safer digital space for children amid rising gadget use from an early age.

The idea was also presented at the Journalists Who Care About Families discussion forum, which brought together legislators, academics and media practitioners to discuss the importance of fostering a media ecosystem that supports children’s growth and development.

Through collaboration between government, media, academics and society, she hopes child protection in the digital space can proceed hand in hand with strengthening family resilience in West Java.