PWNU DIY Suggests Indonesia Regulate The Prohibition Of Children Using Social Media, Imitating Australia?

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

YOGYAKARTA - Chairman of the Tanfidziyah Regional Management of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PWNU) Special Region of Yogyakarta KH Ahmad Zuhdi Muhdlor proposed the government to make regulations prohibiting children and adolescents under 16 years of age from using social media.

Zuhdi believes the ban will help the government reduce the negative influence of social media on children from an early age, especially from exposure to online gambling.

"This must be with regulations. It is not enough with an appeal. If it has become a state regulation, it can be subject to sanctions for those who violate it," said Zuhdi as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 3.

According to him, the proposal is as the policy that will apply in Australia.

The law (UU) passed by the Australian Senate on Thursday (28/11) will prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from using social media such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit, and X.

"This may be tried or reviewed by the government to be implemented in Indonesia. I think it's good, where other countries are now also feeling the impact," he said.

For Zuhdi, the application of the regulation is not just following the Kangaroo State, because the negative impact on children's mental or psychological health has also been experienced by children in Indonesia.

Although he does not deny that there are also many benefits that can be obtained from social media in line with the development of information technology (IT), it is specifically for minors whose disadvantages are greater because generally they have not been able to use it wisely.

In addition, online gambling campaigns or advertisements that are scattered on social media also have the potential to influence them.

"If it has entered the child's brain, it is very difficult to straighten it back. Sometimes I also think about the many killings carried out by various parties, it cannot be separated, if not alcohol, online gambling. This is very real," he said.

Zuhdi assessed that the new government currently has quite a lot of devices through various related ministries to review the harm in the use of social media for children.

"Moreover, now there are quite a lot of ministries that handle education with representatives of ministries. This means that these can also be parts of the education ministry specifically reviewing these problems. I hope so," he said.

Apart from going through the rules, he emphasized that families still have a crucial role in controlling the use of gadgets among children or adolescents so that they avoid exposure to negative content, including online gambling campaigns.

PWNU DIY, said Zuhdi, has been keen to remind the public about the serious dangers of online gambling on various occasions, either through recitation or activities or meetings of NU residents in this province.

"The detrimental impact is very real, both economic, then the most damaged is mental, people's mentality, people's mentality, morals are lost, and many other negative things, including households, are also destroyed," he said.

Previously, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ban on social media for minors, which will take effect at the end of next year, is important "to protect the mental health and benefit" of young people.

The law, which was first passed by the Australian House of Representatives on Wednesday (27/11), will impose a fine of up to 50 million Australian dollars (IDR 516 billion) for violators.

However, according to the law, social media managers cannot force their users to provide identity evidence, such as digital ID cards, to ensure their age.

In the Senate vote, the law was approved by 34 senators and rejected by 19 others. Meanwhile, 102 members of the Australian House of Representatives approved the law and only 13 rejected it.