Indonesia urges families to reduce screen time under Asta Mantra Keluarga
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- Officials warn many children access the internet without adult supervision, increasing exposure to cybercrime and exploitation risks.
- The program also encourages livable public spaces, stronger parenting, community solidarity and cross-sector collaboration for child safety.
The government, through the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK), is stepping up efforts to help families improve their quality of life by reducing children’s screen time via the Asta Mantra Keluarga program.
“Asta Mantra is designed to build stronger families in today’s digital world, and the first point is to cut screen time and increase green time (time spent on physical activities),” Woro Srihastuti Sulistyaningrum, Deputy for the Coordination of Quality Improvement of Children, Women and Families at Kemenko PMK, said during Safer Internet Day 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Citing the 2025 Early Childhood Profile data, Woro noted that 41.02 percent of Indonesian children can already access the internet, up from 35.57 percent in 2024.
However, only 28.58 percent of children who go online are accompanied by parents or guardians, leaving many more vulnerable to cybercrime, including online child sexual exploitation.
Referring to a 2024–2025 report by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Woro said Indonesia currently ranks third globally for the volume of child sexual exploitation content cases, and second in Southeast Asia for similar cases.
“This is our challenge today: the internet is extremely easy to connect to, but parents are not using the internet,” Woro said.
For that reason, through Asta Mantra Keluarga, the government is rolling out eight family-support measures, including cutting screen time and expanding green time—for instance by making homes zones for interaction and setting age-appropriate gadget schedules under adult supervision.
“We have to be careful to ensure children don’t end up focusing only on the internet,” Woro said.
The second push focuses on building “liveable” and “loveable” cities and villages, with the government encouraging residents to use and maintain parks, fields and other public spaces as safe play areas for children.
Efforts to promote quality families in the digital era will also continue through encouraging parents to become effective caregivers, strengthening religious values and moral character, preserving the nation’s cultural heritage, reviving neighborhood solidarity, expanding cross-sector collaboration and using digital tools for better coordination.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara
