Most Children Access the Internet, Protection Strengthened

Almost 90 percent of Indonesian children have used the internet. They must be protected from the negative impacts of cyberspace.

MEDSOS KOMPAS/ANTONIUS SULISTYO P

A child uses a gadget during the Inspirasi Perempuan Indonesia Fest 2022 event at The Kasablanka Main Hall, Mal Kota Kasablanka, South Jakarta on Saturday (17/12/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government will prepare the latest regulations to prevent violence against children in the online or online realm, including in online games. This rule is part of the road map in efforts to prevent and deal with the negative impacts of the internet.

Deputy for Improving the Quality of Children, Women and Youth of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Empowerment and Culture Woro Srihastuti Sulistyaningrum explained that this regulation is being prepared in the form of a presidential regulation to provide clear guidelines and mechanisms for all parties involved in child protectionin the online realm. These parties include children, parents, teachers, caregivers, internet service providers, law enforcement officials and civil society organizations.

They will formulate rules to protect children who are becoming more familiar with gadgets. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency in 2021, 89 percent of children aged five and over access the internet for social media, and only 33 percent of them access the internet for school assignments.

"If we look at it, 90 percent of our children are using the internet. So inevitably, protection for our children in the online realm must be something we safeguard," said Woro in Jakarta on Monday (22/4/2024).

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Children play lato-lato and gadgets before attending prayers to celebrate Galungan at Prambanan Temple, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta, Wednesday (4/1/2023).

This regulation will involve various ministries/agencies such as the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MORA), the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency, and the Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center.

Woro also pointed out that cases of child violence on the network were increasingly worrying. Data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children at the Ministry of PPPA shows that the number of child violence cases continues to increase from 16,106 in 2022 to 18,175 cases in 2023.

This rule not only targets online games but also regulates the procedures for registering games and obtaining distribution permits in Indonesia.

According to him, this presidential regulation will focus on strengthening parental care and handling cases. The ease with which children can access the internet without assistance can make children vulnerable to negative impacts. Starting from digital bullying, online sexual violence (sextortion), fraud, to child exploitation.

"Ultimately, this looks at the upstream and the estuary, and ultimately the family," he said.

Also read: Child Abuse Happens Everywhere, It's Time for Society to Take Action

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

Dwi Hermawan (34, left) watches over his eight-year-old son, Ghifari Arkanata (right), while he plays with a gadget at their home in Keseneng Village, Mojotengah District, Wonosobo Regency, Central Java, on Saturday (25/2/2023).

One other effort to protect children from internet violence through this regulation is the plan to block online games that have a negative impact on children. Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Nahar stated that games containing violence have the potential to negatively affect the mental and behavioral development of children and adolescents.

"We are currently perfecting various regulations related to child protection in the digital or online realm. "Later, preventative reports or documents can be used as complaints," said Nahar.

Nahar also emphasizes that this regulation not only targets online games, but also regulates the process of registering games and obtaining distribution permits in Indonesia. According to him, this regulation is not intended to restrict children's access to the internet, but rather to ensure that the internet content accessed is something positive.

Also read: The High Rate of Child Marriage in Indonesia

Meanwhile, Kawiyan, a member of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), welcomes the government's plan to protect children from violence in the online realm, especially through online games. The government is encouraged to create a system or rules that prevent children under the age of 18 from accessing adult games that may contain violence, pornography, and online gambling.

"The regulation must also be able to bind or oblige online game operators/service providers with strict sanctions," said Kawiyan.

Also read: Six out of Ten Children Experience Violence in Cyberspace

Kawiyan revealed that the draft presidential regulation is currently undergoing harmonization process in the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. KPAI hopes that with many legal regulations regarding child protection in the digital realm, both specific and general ones, Indonesian children will be protected.