JAKARTA - The Civil Coalition for Digital Literacy assessed that the implementation of PP No. 17/2025 concerning the Governance of the Implementation of Electronic Systems in the Protection of Children (PP TUNAS) on March 28 has the potential to cause various serious problems without adequate technical readiness, governance, and infrastructure.
In a written statement, Wednesday, March 18, the Civil Coalition for Digital Literacy said that there were at least five major challenges that were considered to be a serious concern before this policy was implemented.
First, the risk of large-scale leakage of children's data. PP TUNAS is expected to encourage the implementation of age verification systems on various digital platforms.
This mechanism has the potential to involve the collection of sensitive personal data, including user identities and parental data.
Without strong security standards, large-scale data collection can actually create new vulnerabilities to data leaks and misuse of children's data.
Second, the threat to user privacy. Until now there has been no clarity regarding the data governance that will be collected in the age verification process: who stores the data, how the data is used, and how long the data is stored.
This lack of clarity raises concerns that child protection policies may actually open up new risks to the digital privacy of Indonesian families.
Third, the potential impact on the mental health of adolescents. For young people, the digital space is not only a means of entertainment, but also a space for socializing, learning, and collaborating.
The sudden restriction of access has the potential to make some teenagers lose channels of communication with peers, especially those who have cross-regional friendship networks or who are used to doing school projects online.
Fourth, the implementation is considered rushed. A number of industry associations assess that this policy with broad technical and social implications requires a realistic transition period.
Without adequate preparation, both in terms of digital platforms, educational institutions, and the community, too rapid implementation has the potential to cause confusion and disruption to the digital ecosystem.
The government is asked to provide a transition period of at least 12 months before the implementation of the PP TUNAS.
Fifth, the readiness of digital infrastructure is not even. In the midst of the government's efforts to expand internet access to villages and encourage the digitization of education, the digital infrastructure gap is still a real challenge in various regions of Indonesia.
The implementation of the new complex regulation requires more mature infrastructure readiness and cross-sector coordination.
Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid assessed that PP Tunas risked depriving tens of millions of children in Indonesia of their rights.
Especially the right to communicate, access information, develop creativity, and express themselves.
"With this complete ban, children will find it increasingly difficult to express their views on government policies that directly affect their human rights," he added.
Therefore, the government is asked to implement the PP TUNAS more carefully, transparently, and based on dialogue with stakeholders.
An inclusive approach is considered important so that the goal of child protection in the digital space can be achieved without creating new risks for society, the education world, and the digital ecosystem that impacts the digital competitiveness of Indonesia's young generation in the global arena.
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