Protecting Children In The Digital Space

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - The number of internet users among children continues to grow in Indonesia. Kominfo data states that 10 percent of internet users in Indonesia are under 15 years old. Unsupervised internet use in children has the potential to have a dangerous impact.

Therefore, Kominfo held an Obral Obbrol Digital Literacy (OOTD) activity with the theme "Protect Our Children in the Digital Room" on Friday, March 8.

Andi Ardian, Program Manager for Ecpat Indonesia, said that currently parents have mutual concerns regarding the activities of children in the online world. Children can be exposed to negative content, extortion, influenced by bad behavior, victims of sexual exploitation, to victims of consumption of certain products.

"So what is not understood is that the escalation when children carry out activities in the online (space) can spread more quickly because it will leave a digital footprint, which could worsen the situation," he explained.

For sensitive content, continued Andi, this can traumatize children. He will be traumatized for life because he sees bad content about him spread.

According to Andi Ardina, existing regulations still have loopholes. For example, cases of online groundbreaking or sexual crimes against children whose legal rules do not yet exist. This is a challenge for stakeholders and regulators to close this legal loophole.

In line with that, Lusi Ayudaningsih as the Digimom Director Program said there is a risk for children in the digital world, namely as perpetrators and also victims. For example, children can become victims of cyberbullying or cyberbullying actors themselves.

Maria Advianti, PP Muslimat NU, explained that using technology in Islam is abah or permissible thing. Parents, according to Maria, have an important role to play in understanding digital technology today. With that, children get supervision from parents who understand the digital world.

"What we can do is build a bulwark of our own child that has norms and ethics that can be done in digital spaces," he concluded.

In terms of child protection, Andi added that several efforts were made, such as the Law on the Crime of Sexual Violence and also the draft Presidential Regulation on Child Protection in the internet network. According to him, the most urgent thing is the ability of digital literacy in society.

"Currently, we should think digitally, in the context of child protection," he said.

Lusi Ayudaningsih emphasized the importance of parents' role in child protection in the digital world. First, what must be done is equalizing parenting. Second, start educating children to introduce digital device functions. Third, things that can happen in the digital space, such as negative content, pornography, cyberbullying and so on.