JAKARTA: Three months after Indonesia introduced a new rule aimed at protecting children under 16 in the digital space, focus has increasingly shifted towards ensuring it delivers meaningful outcomes for the country’s young tech users.
Known as PP Tunas, the regulation requires electronic system providers to verify users’ ages, manage risks and provide safer online environments. Platforms deemed to pose higher risks to children such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, Roblox and Bigo Live are subjected to stricter child protection obligations.
When PP Tunas took effect on March 28 this year, Indonesia became the first country in South-East Asia to introduce such regulation.
The move was part of a broader global push by governments around the world to regulate young users’ access to social media and compel digital platforms to create safer online environments for minors.
Australia took the lead when, in December last year, it became the first country in the world to implement a nationwide ban preventing children under 16 from holding accounts on major social media platforms.
Malaysia early this month began enforcing age verification requirements for the social media accounts registration for children under the age of 16, while several European countries have started to adopt or pursue similar age-based safeguards to protect children from cyber risks.
While PP Tunas has generally been praised as a positive step, stakeholders said its long-term effectiveness will depend not only on government enforcement but also on greater public awareness and sustained active involvement of families, schools, and digital platforms.
Child education advocate and Jumpa founder Ade Rachmat praised PP Tunas as an important step towards strengthening child protection but said it is too early to comprehensively assess its effectiveness.
“There is one important issue that deserves attention, namely the lack of public awareness,” he stressed.
He said that many parents, educators, and members of the public still do not fully understand the policy’s objectives, mechanics, and their roles in supporting its implementation.
Ade, who heads the Kak Seto Bekasi Community Learning Centre (PKBM) homeschooling programme, said the government and relevant stakeholders should look into strengthening public outreach through broader and more structured awareness efforts for parents, educators, and the wider community.
“What children need is the awareness and ability to use technology wisely, critically, and responsibly,” he said, adding that ultimately, the success of PP Tunas should be measured not only by reduced social media access, but also by improved digital literacy among families and the wider community.
Ade’s view was echoed by Mohd Rosli Hanafi, a 46-year-old Malaysian father of two, who said a measure like PP Tunas could support parents in fostering healthier habits among children.
He found it easier to limit screen time for his sons, aged six and 12. They now spend time outdoors doing activities such as playing football and futsal with friends.
Rosli, who has lived in Jakarta for the past two years, believes family supervision is essential to ensuring that technology is used responsibly.
Meanwhile Reinelda Revisionery, a 39-year-old Indonesian mother of three boys aged seven, four, and two, described PP Tunas as a positive initiative but said its implementation still needs to be strengthened.
“It is a good start, but implementation needs to be clearer and supported by better technology to prevent children from bypassing the restrictions,” she said.
Reinelda said children could still access online content through shared family devices, citing YouTube on smart televisions as an example, while even child-focused applications could not guarantee completely safe content.
She said she had already enforced strict screen-time rules at home long before PP Tunas was introduced, only allowing her children to watch programmes during mealtimes.
“For us, the rules at home are the most important because parents are still the first line of supervision,” she said. – Bernama
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