HAN 2024, Puan Emphasizes The Importance Of A Healthy Digital World For Children

DPR Doc

JAKARTA - DPR Speaker Puan Maharani highlighted the importance of a healthy digital world for children in commemoration of National Children's Day (HAN). This moment could be a momentum for security for children throughout Indonesia without exception.

"Happy National Children's Day 2024. This HAN commemoration can be a reminder of the importance of guaranteeing rights for children, including the right of children to get access to a healthy digital world," said Puan, Tuesday, July 23.

Puan emphasized the need to understand the positive and negative impacts of technological advances for children. If you look at the current era of digitalization, said Puan, of course today's children have different characteristics from the previous generation.

"Children today need to be technology literate, but they still need parental assistance to avoid the negative impact of technology itself," said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) as many as 88.9% of children aged 5 years and over in Indonesia have accessed the internet for social media. Then as many as 66.13% of children access the internet to get information or news and 63.08% more for entertainment.

Puan assessed that the good impact of technological advances on the character of children who are included in the current digital generation is, among others, being active in expressing oneself, having broad insights, liking freedom, wanting to have control to have new technokogy adaptability.

"That is a positive thing that can be developed to make Indonesian children more creative and superior," said Puan.

Even so, Puan reminded that unsupervised technology can have a negative impact on children's development.

"The characteristics of the digital generation of children are very different. They are more adaptive and like freedom, so there needs to be supervision from parents but still provide space for them to explore themselves, take advantage of technology but still with reasonable boundaries," said Bung Karno's grandson.

In the era of the pandemic in 2020, all children were 'forced' to be technology literate because schools were conducted online. Still according to BPS data, as many as 33.04% of children aged 5 years and over access the internet to do schoolwork. Then 16.25% for the purpose of purchasing goods/services and 13.13% for information on goods/services.

"Now there are many schools that use online. So they can access information easily," said Puan.

Apart from that, the mother of two still asks parents and the school to provide restrictions on access to internet use to children. Puan reminded that excessive use of technology tends to have various problems for children such as mental health, lack of focus, lack of natural creativity, delays in learning languages, and several other social problems.

"Such negative things need to be anticipated. Don't let your children be exposed to negative technology. So that your children are smart and accomplished, make sure they are in the internet healthy. And that is our common task," he said.

Puan said that protection for children in the online and digital realms needs to be a common concern. This is because the ease of access obtained without supervision can have various consequences and children are vulnerable to being victims of online crime.

There are several things that are of global concern related to vulnerability to the digital realm for children such as cyberbullying, sextortion, scams, hoaxes, child groundbreaking, pornography, to exploitation and sexual harassment of online children.

"So multi-party collaboration is needed from the Government, DPR, law enforcement agencies, players in the world of education, and the community itself to commit to creating a healthy and friendly digital world for children," explained Puan.

Puan also asked the Government to ensure equitable distribution of technology infrastructure that will support improving the quality of Indonesian education, especially for children in the 3TP area (lagging behind, leading, outermost, and border).

"ThePR that the Government still has to do is ensure that other internet networks and technology infrastructure have spread to all regions in the country, not only in big cities," he said.

In the 2024 HAN commemoration, Puan also underlined the importance of the environment for children who are free from violence. Starting from physical and mental violence, sexual violence, to digital violence.

"We know that lately there has been a lot of violence against children in various forms. Then the protection for children in terms of education and health must also continue to be improved," explained Puan.

Puan invites the Government and all elements of society to build a joint commitment to ensure that children's rights are fulfilled.

"So that children grow up healthy and get protection from all forms of violence and exploitation. So that child marriage no longer occurs which leads to violence, exploitation by employing children, violence in schools and the family environment, so that stunting problems in Indonesia can be reduced," he explained.

According to Puan, building a child-friendly world must start from the growth of children since it was still in the womb of the mother. Therefore, the DPR initiated Law (UU) Number 4 of 2024 concerning Maternal and Child Welfare (KIA) in Phase One Thousand Days of Life.

"Through the KIA Law, the responsibility in terms of child growth in the first thousand days phase is a collective responsibility, including the Government. And the first thousand days of this child's day is the capital to produce superior generations of Indonesian leadership candidates in the future," concluded Puan.