Minister Arifah Fauzi: Exposure to Online Gambling is a Serious Threat to Children's Growth and Development

JAKARTA - Minister of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi said the increasing exposure of children to online gambling is a serious alarm that the digital space still holds various threats to the growth and safety of children.

"Based on data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital, it is recorded that around 200 thousand Indonesian children have been exposed to online gambling practices. This is a serious threat to children's rights to live, grow, develop, and receive protection from various forms of exploitation in the digital space," said PPPA Minister Arifah Fauzi in Jakarta, Saturday, reported by Antara.

According to him, strengthening child protection in the online realm must be a common priority.

"The involvement of children in online gambling practices cannot be seen as a mere behavioral issue, but rather a form of children's vulnerability to digital exploitation and risks that require comprehensive, systematic, and collaborative handling," said Arifah Fauzi.

He said children were a group that was very vulnerable to various digital exploitation modes.

The characteristics of the digital world that is fast, open, and massive make it easy for children to be exposed to gambling content through disguised advertisements, gambling-laden digital games, influencer promotions, and digital transactions that children do not understand the risks of.

"In many cases, children do not yet have adequate capacity to understand the legal, social, and psychological consequences of online gambling activities," said Arifatul Choiri Fauzi.

Therefore, according to him, the approach to protection cannot only rely on legal enforcement, but must be strengthened through prevention, education, supervision, and continuous assistance.

Previously, the Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid revealed that almost 200 thousand children in Indonesia were exposed to online gambling or online gambling, including around 80 thousand children under the age of 10.

"Online gambling is a scam that the system ensures that players are almost always losing and losing in the long run," said Meutya.