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View all search resultsCommunications ministry warns of children's exposure to pornography on social media
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Illustration of a child accessing social media on a smartphone. (Shutterstock/fadfebrian)
T
he Communications and Digital Ministry has warned that children can easily access pornographic content on social media due to weak age-verification systems and platform algorithms, underscoring the urgency of stronger safeguards mandated under the Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation (PP Tunas).
"Children can access sexually explicit content because age verification is weak [...] and content is easily searchable on platforms," the ministry’s digital space supervision director general Alexander Sabar told The Jakarta Post on Saturday, adding that recommendation algorithms and autoplay features could further expose underage users to inappropriate content.
Citing a 2023 study from UNICEF, Alexander said that 50.3 percent of Indonesian children had encountered sexually explicit content online, with exposure most frequently occurring on TikTok, followed by Meta-owned platforms Instagram and Facebook.
The same data was presented by the ministry in a digital literacy campaign earlier last week in Jakarta.
Under PP Tunas, Alexander said, digital platforms are required to adopt proactive measures to mitigate inappropriate content, including through tighter control over recommendation algorithms, content-distribution features, livestreaming and direct messaging services.
Since taking effect on March 28, PP Tunas has also required eight platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bigo Live and gaming platform Roblox, to conduct self-assessments of risks faced by underage users.
Read also: Indonesia sets three-month deadline for online child safety compliance
