Online child exploitation fears linger in Indonesia despite planned social media restrictions

Some parents believe the dangers remain unavoidable for a generation growing up online. Read more at straitstimes.com.

JAKARTA – The threat of online child exploitation continues to loom despite the government’s plan to restrict children’s access to certain digital platforms, as experts warn that predators can easily move across multiple online spaces where young users interact.

Indonesia will soon begin limiting accounts belonging to users under 16 on several “high-risk platforms” under the Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation (PP Tunas), which aims to protect children from online dangers ranging from pornography and cyberbullying to exploitation.

However, parents and experts say the policy alone may not fully shield children from online predators.

Ms Sali, a 29-year-old mother of a five-year-old in Jakarta, said she had long been concerned about the risks children face in the digital environment.

Although she strictly limits her daughter’s access to gadgets, she believes the dangers remain unavoidable for a generation growing up online.

“Among digital natives, parental monitoring is increasingly limited. Cyberbullying and child exploitation are very likely to occur,” Ms Sali told The Jakarta Post.