IPB University Expert: Children’s Social Media Restrictions Must Be Balanced with Digital Education
The discourse on age-based social media restrictions for children is gaining momentum, following similar policies being implemented in several countries, such as Australia.
Responding to this, Dr Yulina Eva Riany, The Director of the Center for Gender and Child Studies (PKGA) at IPB University, views age restrictions as a strategic first step in child protection efforts within the digital space provided they are accompanied by the strengthening of digital literacy.
Shock Therapy
According to Dr Yulina, age restriction holds significant value as a form of initial education for the public, particularly in Indonesia, where people tend to be more compliant with rules backed by sanctions rather than mere suggestions.
“Age-based social media restrictions can be positioned as an initial ‘shock therapy’ to raise collective awareness regarding the importance of child protection in the digital realm,” she stated.
She emphasized that restriction policies will not be effective if applied in isolation. Strengthening digital literacy, especially for parents, is a vital prerequisite to ensure the policy does not end as a mere administrative rule.
“Children have a very rapid digital adaptability, including finding loopholes to bypass age limits. Therefore, restrictions must be balanced with increased digital literacy among parents and schools,” she explained.
Dr Yulina added that digital literacy enables parents to provide effective guidance, while schools play a role in building critical thinking skills, digital ethics, and children’s awareness of online risks. Without such preparedness, policies risk creating a gap between regulation and field practice.
In the Indonesian context, she assesses that the greatest risk of social media restrictions without an established ecosystem is the rise of “hidden access” by children. This condition makes children more vulnerable to harmful content, cyberbullying, personal data exploitation, and exposure to extreme ideologies.
“If children access social media secretly without supervision, the risks are far greater,” she said.
Must Be Inclusive
Social media restrictions have the potential to widen the digital and social divide if not designed inclusively. Children from families with high digital literacy are likely to continue accessing digital spaces safely, while children from vulnerable families risk losing access to learning spaces and self expression.
Therefore, Dr Yulina emphasized the importance of affirmative intervention, such as equitable public education, support for schools, and the development of learning strategies that do not rely entirely on digital media. Practice-based learning, projects, and experiments are considered alternatives to prevent a lag in learning access.
She also warned that a restrictive approach that overly emphasizes prohibition could drive children to use fake accounts or move to other platforms that are more closed and lack supervision.
“A balanced approach between restriction, guidance, and education is far more effective than an absolute ban,” she asserted.
Regarding national regulation, Dr Yulina appreciated the issuance of Government Regulation (PP) No. 17 of 2025 concerning Electronic System Management in Child Protection (PP Tunas) as a significant step in strengthening child protection in the digital space. This regulation mandates digital platforms to provide child friendly designs and take responsibility for content management and personal data.
“Child protection in the digital space is a shared responsibility. The state acts as the regulator, schools as the strengtheners of literacy and character, while parents remain the primary mentors. Without solid collaboration, child protection efforts in the digital world will not operate optimally,” she concluded. (AS) (IAAS/FMT)
