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Child online safety rule lacks clarity, safeguards, observers say
Children's and digital rights observers have raised questions about the new regulation on child online safety, pointing to regulatory inconsistencies and gaps that could pose a risk to underage users and their personal data.
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A girl uses a smartphone in this undated photo. (Shutterstock/Cornelius Krishna Tedjo)
T
he newly issued government regulation (PP) on child digital protection, which includes a minimum age limit for using social media platforms, has met with criticism for lacking clarity as well as necessary and effective safeguards.
The regulation, signed by President Prabowo Subianto on March 28, mandates both public and private electronic system providers (ESPs) to ensure that their products, services and features are free from content harmful to children younger than 17. These include pornography, violence and materials deemed to cause addiction or psychological harm.
It also requires providers to conduct a self-assessment on “impacts of child personal data protection” to determine whether their products and services pose high or low risk to underage users, and submit the results to the Communications and Digital Ministry.
This self-assessment could be problematic, according to digital rights group Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), as ESPs could downplay their services’ risk levels to avoid additional obligations mandated by the regulation.
“Ideally, an independent party should be involved, even though the ministry will carry out a verification afterward,” said Nenden Sekar Arum, executive director of SAFEnet.
Read also: Social media age restriction policy met with caution
Nenden also highlighted ambiguities in the regulation’s articles on age verification, which requires collecting children’s sensitive personal data.
