Reduce Addiction To Devices To Children, The Main Key Is In Family Communication

JAKARTA - The use of gadgets by children is increasing, it is not uncommon for them to spend hours staring at the screen without a break. Although digital technology brings many benefits, if not monitored wisely, it can have a negative impact on children's growth and development, both in terms of social, emotional, and cognitive.

Children who play gadgets for too long tend to be less physically active, are easily socially isolated, and more vulnerable to impaired attention. One of the most effective ways to prevent gadget addiction is to strengthen communication in the family.

This was also conveyed by the Minister of Population and Family Development as well as the Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Wihaji, at an event at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta. He reminded the importance of encouraging children to interact more directly with their parents.

"I ask the children to talk more with their parents, and parents are also actively talking to their children, so they don't depend too much on their cellphones to communicate," he said.

According to Wihaji, the current device seems to have become a new "family member" who has started replacing real domestic interactions. If communication in the family is minimal, then it is not surprising that children prefer gadgets as friends to talk and entertainment. He noted that the average time for using gadgets by children can reach 7 to 8 hours per day, which is a high number and needs to be watched out for.

As a form of protection against the negative impact of digital, Wihaji supports the implementation of Government Regulation (PP) Number 17 of 2025 concerning Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP Tunas). This regulation is one of the government's strategic efforts to limit excessive exposure to digital content that is not appropriate for children.

"We hope that this rule can become a control room so that children are not exposed to unhealthy content, and encourage them to grow up as Indonesia's golden generation," said Wihaji.

The implementation of PP Tunas is carried out through collaboration across ministries and institutions. The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) of the Cash PP Action Plan was carried out by six ministries, namely: Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Religion, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, BKKBN, and Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection.

The Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, emphasized that cross-sectoral cooperation is a concrete step in building a child-friendly digital ecosystem.

"This is a form of mutual cooperation between ministries according to the president's direction, so that we continue to be united and move together in protecting our children in the digital space," he said in an event held at TMII.