Yogyakarta, May 7, 2026 – The Center for Digital Society (CfDS), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) Universitas Gadjah Mada, once again held CfDS Response, carrying the theme “The Enactment of PP TUNAS: Interpreting Equality in Child Protection on Digital Platforms.” This event was held online on Thursday (7/5).
CfDS Researcher and event host, Semeion Bintang Ridho Aunillah, opened the discussion session by highlighting the crucial urgency behind the emergence of this policy, which restricts social media use for children. “The use of digital technology by children is like a double-edged sword. On one hand, digital platforms offer a space for children to learn, express themselves, and develop. But on the other hand, there are numerous negative impacts that arise when children use digital media, such as exposure to harmful content, privacy data exploitation, and, most severely, digital violence against children,” Semeion stated.
Stemming from these concerns, the government enacted Government Regulation (PP) No. 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection, known as PP TUNAS. This regulation is technically implemented through the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization Decrees (Kepmenkomdigi) 140/2026 and 142/2026, which regulate in detail the division of age categories, monitoring mechanisms, and the stages of sanction escalation.
Also analyzing the polemics of this policy, CfDS Researcher, Ayom Pratita Purbandani, presented the findings from the research conducted by her team. “In this response, we conducted a small study to try to approach this issue through three methods. Through social media analysis, we wanted to see the public response using a dataset of TikTok comments from students affected by PP TUNAS, which we then mapped using Topic Modelling. We also conducted a Comparative Regulatory Analysis to compare Indonesia with other countries in addressing child protection in the digital ecosystem,” Ayom explained.
Based on these findings, Ayom highlighted the broader policy implications. This research positions the massive number of TikTok comments not merely as “internet noise” or cyberspace clamor, but as a tangible form of articulating the younger generation’s digital experiences. This affirms a crucial meaning that young people should be understood as digital political subjects, knowledge producers, and policy stakeholders.
“PP TUNAS was fundamentally born out of real concerns regarding children’s safety online. However, its implementation remains highly state-centric and paternalistic,” Ayom asserted. She added that the existence of PP TUNAS indicates three important points regarding the digital ecosystem in Indonesia: a trend of increasing state intervention in platforms, a shift towards an increasingly regulated internet, and a transformation in the relationship between the state, platforms, and digital citizens. This transformation is expected to become an equitable foundation to ensure the welfare of children and free them from all forms of violence.