Faith, ethics must ground children's digital access: minister

 Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar emphasized that strong foundations of religious faith and ethics within families and the education system are essential to ensure children are well prepared to navigate the digital world.

“We want to ensure that strong foundations of faith and ethics are built within families and educational environments before children access the digital space,” he said here 

He affirmed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs fully supports the Government Regulation on Electronic System Governance for Child Protection, known as PP Tunas.

The minister stressed that derivative rules of PP Tunas, as stipulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs No. 9 of 2026, which defers social media access for children under 16 starting March 28, 2026, are not intended as restrictions.

Instead, he said, the regulation serves as a form of state protection to support the development of children under 16.

Umar has instructed all staff across Islamic schools (madrasah) and religious education institutions to strictly oversee the implementation of this policy.

According to him, educational institutions should use this momentum to strengthen digital literacy, grounded in a solid reinforcement of religious and ethical values.

He also called on teachers, religious leaders, and parents to guide children with compassion. Cooperation between schools and families, he added, is key to ensuring the regulation delivers tangible impact.

Earlier, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid warned that the Indonesian government would not compromise with digital platforms that fail to protect children as mandated by PP Tunas, which took effect on March 28, 2026.

Hafid expressed appreciation for X and Bigo Live, noting that both are in full compliance with PP Tunas. She also welcomed efforts by TikTok and Roblox, which have been categorized as partially compliant.

Meanwhile, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and YouTube have yet to meet the requirements set out under the regulation.

Indonesia airport bust: 2kg MDMA seized in Jakarta

 The Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta Customs and Excise Main Service Office C in Tangerang, Banten, arrested CJ (39), a Chinese national, for attempting to smuggle 1,915 grams of Class I narcotic MDMA into Indonesia.

The Head of Soekarno-Hatta Customs and Excise, Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang, in a press conference on Friday, explained that the smuggling of MDMA mixed with cocaine in powder form and etomidate in vape pods was uncovered following an inspection of the goods by officers at the airport.

“This step reflects continuous risk analysis and cross-agency collaboration carried out during the 2026 Eid al-Fitr holiday period,” Aritonang remarked.

He explained that the Chinese national, identified as a courier, was arrested after being found carrying narcotics after arriving in Indonesia on a flight from Techo International Airport, Cambodia (KTI) to Jakarta (CGK) on Friday evening (March 20).

"The passenger is suspected of being a narcotics courier, possessing 1,915 grams of Class I narcotic MDMA, concealed in a suitcase (false concealment) to evade inspection officers," Aritonang said.

Following the discovery, Customs and Excise, in coordination with the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Narcotics Unit, launched further investigations.

On Tuesday (March 24), officers conducted an additional inspection of a package declared as a toy. However, they discovered eight items containing vape pods filled with Class II narcotic etomidate liquid. The package had been falsely declared and was destined for Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

“We collaborated with the Police Narcotics Unit to uncover this case and successfully arrested one individual, identified as JS (Indonesian male, 33), who was the intended recipient of the package,” Aritonang stated.

Meanwhile, Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Whisnu Wardana, added that the two perpetrators have been detained. Currently, his team is conducting further investigations into the MDMA.

"With the large amount of evidence, almost 2 kilograms of MDMA, we will conduct further investigations to determine whether the evidence is used as raw material or something similar," he informed.

Authorities are also pursuing another Chinese national, identified as HS, who is suspected of orchestrating the smuggling operation and is currently on the wanted list.

All suspects have been charged under Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment in accordance with Indonesian law.