JAKARTA - Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, reminded that women and children are increasingly vulnerable to becoming victims of crimes in the digital space, ranging from sextortion, fraud based on content manipulation, to human trafficking.
Meutya assessed that this threat can no longer be seen as a common disturbance on the internet, but as a safety issue that requires more assertive protection.
"The digital realm makes it easier for people to carry out extortion, fraud, human trafficking, against women. This shows that we must jointly protect women in the digital space," he said.
In response to this challenge, the Government has implemented a policy of restricting access to digital accounts for children under the age of 16 since March 2025. Indonesia is the second country after Australia to take this step.
"We are not restricting internet access, but children's access to their own accounts until the age of 16. This is to protect children from the real dangers to them when they are not ready in the vast digital space," said Meutya.
Meutya explained that this policy was born out of concerns about the high intensity of internet use among children, which has the potential to disrupt mental health, learning concentration, and open up gaps to exposure to harmful content.
Currently, at least 19 countries are beginning to study similar policies by referring to the implementation in Indonesia.
In addition, the Ministry of Communication and Digital continues to strengthen supervision of the digital space, including accelerating the handling of violent content and improving coordination with law enforcement agencies.
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