Govt asks Google to support online child protection efforts

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid visited the Google Office in Paris, France, and asked the technology company to support the Indonesian government's efforts to protect children in the digital space.

During a meeting with vice president of YouTube public policy, Leslie Miller, at the office on Sunday (February 9, 2025), Hafid invited Google to work with the Indonesian government to provide a safer digital environment and space for children.

"The government will implement stricter regulations to protect children from exposure to dangerous content such as child pornography and online gambling," she said in a statement released on Tuesday.

She added that currently, the Indonesian government is preparing the regulation to address the issue of child pornography and the impact of online gambling on children.

According to data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Indonesia is among the top four countries with the highest cases of child pornography globally.

Meanwhile, a report from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has shown that the number of online gambling players under the age of 10 has reached 80 thousand, accounting for around two percent of all players in Indonesia.

Miller said that Indonesia is one of the big markets for YouTube, one of Google's products, therefore the company is ready to support the Indonesian government's initiative to improve protection for children in the digital space.

"We are ready to work with the Indonesian government to ensure that our platform is safer for all users, especially children," she noted.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs requires electronic system organizers to have a child protection system.

Hafid said that the government is trying to improve child protection in the digital space by preparing regulations that require platforms to improve their technology and systems to protect children from dangers in cyberspace.

The regulations prepared are in line with Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning electronic information and transactions, which, among other things, requires electronic system organizers to make improvements to ensure that the digital space is safer for the younger generation.

The regulation includes age restrictions for creating digital accounts to prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate and age-inappropriate content and the obligation of digital platforms to improve their systems.

The system improvements in question can include the ability to detect child user data to prevent the possibility of children impersonating adults.