Creating a child-friendly digital space through PP Tunas

  Providing protection for children and adolescents in accessing digital spaces is one of the main focuses of the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) under the leadership of Minister Meutya Hafid and Deputy Ministers Nezar Patria and Angga Raka Prabowo.

This focus is inseparable from the increasing activity of children in the digital space along with the rapid penetration of the internet and the use of social media in Indonesia.

The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) recorded that the number of internet users in Indonesia in 2025 had reached 229,428,417 people or around 80.66 percent of the total population of 284,438,900.

By age group, Generation Z (12–27 years old) and Generation Alpha (under 12 years old) are among the top three internet users. Gen Z accounts for 87.80 percent of internet users, while Gen Alpha accounts for 79.73 percent.

For children, the internet and digital platforms are like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, digital spaces can support learning and foster creativity. However, on the other hand, they carry various risks, ranging from exposure to negative content, cyberbullying, device addiction, online gambling, and even the exploitation of children's personal data.

From a psychological perspective, excessive exposure to social media also has the potential to impact the psychological development of children and adolescents. Vera Itabiliana, a child and adolescent psychologist and graduate of the University of Indonesia, stated that the most significant impact is on the process of identity formation.

The natural search for identity requires time, exploration, and real-life interaction. This process is further complicated when teens are constantly exposed to social standards, trends, and the opinions of others through social media.

Such exposure has the potential to cause teenagers to define themselves based on the judgments of others, rather than from personal experience.

Social media use can also affect adolescents' ability to manage their emotions. They become more likely to compare themselves to others, more sensitive to social judgment, and more likely to seek external validation.

Teenagers are the group most vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media because they do not yet have full self-control and the ability to assess risks.