Immediately Effective, Menkomdigi Emphasizes PP TUNAS Does Not Ban Children from Accessing the Internet

Minister of Communication and Information Meutya Hafid (photo: Komdigi doc)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Meutya Hafid, emphasized that the child protection policy in the digital space contained in Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 (PP TUNAS), was not aimed at prohibiting children from using the internet.

He stated that the presence of the PP which regulates the Governance of the Electronic System in Child Protection is designed to delay access to high-risk digital platforms until a safer age.

Meutya said the number of children active on the internet in Indonesia is very large and faces various serious risks in the digital space.

In fact, Unicef data shows that around 50% of Indonesian children who use the internet have been exposed to sexual content on social media, while 42% of children admit to feeling afraid or uncomfortable due to their experiences in the digital space.

"Currently, out of around 229 million internet users in Indonesia, almost 80 percent of children are already connected to the internet. This is a very large number and is a serious concern for us together," said Meutya.

Through PP TUNAS, Meutya hopes that the government can delay the age of access for children to high-risk digital platforms to 16 years, and for services with lower risk starting at 13 years.

"This rule does not provide sanctions for children or parents. Sanctions are given to digital platforms that do not carry out child protection obligations," he said.

Meutya said that this arrangement has considered various forms of risk in the digital space, ranging from exposure to harmful content, interactions with unknown people, potential exploitation of children, to the risk of addiction to the use of digital platforms.

The government targets the full implementation of the regulation to begin running after one year of signing, namely on March 28, 2026.