Minister Hafid advocates for more educational TV programs for kids

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) Minister Meutya Hafid emphasized the importance of intensifying the broadcast of educational content on television to encourage children to watch TV regularly.

"We are hoping for more educational television programs than can help bring back the television-watching culture," she noted, as cited from her office's statement here on Thursday.

During a meeting with leaders of Nusantara TV at Komdigi Ministry's headquarters in Central Jakarta on Tuesday (March 4), she expressed belief that engaging educational TV programs would also help Indonesia reduce children's addiction to the internet.

To the same end, the Komdigi Ministry is formulating a regulation to impose age restrictions on children's use of social media platforms.

She noted that the Indonesian government initiated this effort by drawing lessons from the experiences of other countries, most notably Australia, France, and Germany, where similar regulations have been in place.

"As one of the countries with the largest count of internet users, Indonesia is quite behind. While other countries have established the necessary regulations, we are still lacking," she pointed out.

The minister expressed hope that by aligning efforts to limit social media access for children and intensifying the broadcast of educational TV programs, the Indonesian nation would succeed in creating a safer digital space and a more solid TV industry.

Meanwhile, Komdigi Ministry's Director General of Public Communication and Media Fifi Aledya Yahya underlined that ensuring greater protection for Indonesian children online is a mandate from President Prabowo Subianto.

She then emphasized that the Komdigi Ministry collaborates with electronic system providers (PSE) to draft social media regulations.

"We have invited PSE to share the responsibility of creating a safe learning environment for Indonesian children in the digital space," she remarked.