Mitigating the Regulation for Children Online Activities in Indonesia: Investigating the Gap Between Parents and Kids

Abstract

In response to concerns about children's safety in online activities, the Indonesian government officially ratified PP No. 17 of 2025 on the governance of electronic systems in child protection (PP TUNAS). This regulation imposes selective restrictions on children's access to and use of social media and other digital services. Issued on March 28, 2025, the regulation states that parents must approve their children's access to platforms, apps, and other digital products. This requirement poses a challenge regarding parents' readiness to perform such functions. This article addresses the regulation from the parents' perspective. The main objective of the research is to investigate how parents perceive and understand their children's online behaviour and to determine whether they are ready to perform their functions of guarding their children's online activities. This writing is a policy commentary developed by synthesising existing empirical studies and reports discussing critical issues regarding parental mediation and digital parenting in Indonesia. These issues range from individual challenges to a lack of societal support. A reorientation of the parental mediation strategy, focusing on children’s digital safety, is recommended for designing a program to educate parents. The gap between parents' lack of ability and their children's online activities must be resolved immediately. The socialisation of the new law should include proper training for parents to fulfill their expected roles as mandated by the regulation.