He noted that mature content easily reaches children's feeds due to loopholes in current age verification systems.
"When children fake their age, the system treats them as adults. This leaves them wide open to adult content and even sexually explicit material," he said during a discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday.
To this end, digital platforms are encouraged to move beyond self-declared birth dates and begin implementing behavior-based age detection technology.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs is pushing electronic system providers to adopt these advanced solutions to comply with Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 regarding Electronic System Governance for Child Protection.
"Age inference technology allows platform algorithms to recognize user behavior patterns," Patria said.
He explained that even if a user hides their real age, the system can perform profiling based on the content they consume. If the system detects child-like patterns on an account registered as an adult, it will automatically block access to harmful material.
He added that major platforms, such as YouTube, are currently testing the reliability of these features in several regions.
The deputy minister expressed hope that "safety by design" efforts will evolve from mere regulatory compliance into a corporate culture dedicated to creating a safe digital space.
Chairman of the Indonesian E-commerce Association (idEA), Hilmi Adrianto, welcomed the directive but noted that the challenge lies in finding a balanced technological solution.
He emphasized the need to filter negative content without restricting children's access to positive information and innovation.
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Translator: Farhan Arda, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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