inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Indonesia is strengthening child protection efforts amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). The government believes that the development of digital technology provides various opportunities for children, but at the same time presents new risks that require joint regulations and oversight.
Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, stated that Indonesia has joined the Global Coalition for Children's Rights and Protection in the Age of AI, a coalition that promotes the protection of children's rights and safety amidst the development of AI technology.
According to Hafid, the development of AI recognizes no national or platform boundaries. Therefore, child protection cannot rely solely on the policies of one country. Indonesia is pushing for more uniform regulations and standards so that countries have a common reference point for protecting children and to raise technology companies' compliance with child protection regulations.
These efforts also align with the implementation of PP TUNAS, Indonesian policy on child protection in the digital space. In a six-month evaluation of its implementation, the government noted that several digital platforms have begun taking concrete steps, including deactivating the accounts of users under 16 and developing safer features for children.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital noted that TikTok has disabled approximately nine million user accounts under the age of 16.
Meanwhile, Meta reported blocking approximately 85,000 accounts under the age of 16 on Instagram and approximately 99,000 accounts on Facebook. Additionally, approximately 22.5 million child accounts have been switched to the Teen Account feature.
However, the government emphasized that the number of disabled accounts is not the sole indicator of successful child protection efforts. The development of AI presents more complex issues, including the risk of misuse of the technology to create deepfakes and sexually abusive material against children.
Through this global coalition, Indonesia, along with other countries and various relevant parties, is pushing for a number of measures, including strengthening safety and privacy from the technology design stage, increasing accountability, developing testing standards, strengthening AI literacy, and addressing misuse of AI that could harm children.
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