Psychologists Support PP TUNAS, Express The Ideal Limit For Playing Children's Phones A Maximum Of 2 Hours
JAKARTA - Restrictions on the use of cell phones and social media for children are still in the spotlight in Indonesia. In fact, the government through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has issued Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning Governance for the Implementation of Electronic Systems in Child Protection (PP TUNAS).
Psychologist, Head of Division E (Humas, Media, and Public Education), Samanta Elsener, explained that the ideal limit for playing time on mobile phones or online for children should be a maximum of two hours per day.
However, implementation in the field is not always easy because children often look for ways to play with their cellphones outside the supervision of their parents. Therefore, solutions are not just a matter of limiting, but teach self-control from an early age.
"When we talk about ideal, maybe a maximum of 2 hours. But we know teenagers like to miss out. So they are very creative. So actually back again how can we teach them self-control," Samantha said at the Press Briefing YouTube event on Thursday, November 20.
He added that the use of the time reminder feature on mobile phones can indeed help, but it shouldn't be dependent. "If you turn off automatically, you can stop, it means that their self-control doesn't develop," said Samantha.
In addition to direct supervision, parents are also asked to increase digital literacy. Understanding on how social media algorithms work is considered important so that parents can teach how to use a safe internet.
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Samantha also fully supports the government's efforts to impose restrictions on access to social media for children, as stated in PP TUNAS, which was launched in March 2025.
According to him, early teenagers were in a very rapid developmental phase, both hormonally and brain structure, so they were more vulnerable to exposure to negative content.
"We as psychologists are very supportive (PP TUNAS). Because we don't want these teenagers to be more exposed again. Negative content that can harm them and their friends," he said.