IEEE catalyzes landmark binding regulation to protect children online

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), the global, consensus-building standards development organization of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, announces the culmination of its collaboration with policymakers on the recently passed Indonesian Government Regulation, Governance of Electronic Systems in Child Protection.

Through insights and expertise grounded in the IEEE’s initiatives and standards on children’s data governance and age-appropriate design, IEEE SA advanced frameworks for the age-appropriate design of internet platforms and systems in Indonesia’s regulatory process. This regulation is the first of its kind in Asia and the Global South, establishing enforceable requirements for digital platforms to protect children’s privacy, safety, and well-being, as a robust, holistic approach against children’s online addiction. Indonesia’s adoption of this landmark regulation represents a significant step forward for child online protection globally.

Children now make up roughly one-third of all internet users worldwide. Greater connectivity has enabled youths to benefit from educational content, communication tools, and entertainment, but it has also exposed them to harmful content, exploitation, data privacy risks, and potential addiction problems. In recent years, governments and civil society bodies have called for age-appropriate design—designing digital products with specific protections and features for children—to address these risks. Indonesia’s new regulation addresses this important topic by requiring online service providers to prioritize the best interests of children in their platform design and practices.

This regulation builds on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its General Comment No. 25, by requiring that any digital product or service likely to be accessed by children provide a high level of privacy by default. Most notably, profiling and the precise geolocation of children are banned, and manipulative design practices, including nudging to weaken privacy settings or requesting more personal data than necessary, are prohibited.

“This is an example of IEEE putting its mission into practice in a concrete way to support societal and children’s needs, where IEEE’s global perspective and technical knowledge combined with the Indonesian authorities’ dedication to achieve a successful outcome,” said Sophia Muirhead, IEEE Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “Together, we enabled the development of a practical, forward-looking legal framework and regulation that will make the digital space safer for the next generation in Indonesia and, we hope, inspire similar actions worldwide.”

Indonesia’s new regulation is closely aligned with some of the most advanced legal frameworks and regulations in the world, such as the UK’s and California’s Age-Appropriate Design Codes. They also draw on internationally recognized standards, including IEEE 2089™, the IEEE Standard for Age Appropriate Digital Services Framework (based on the 5Rights principles for children), and IEEE 2089.1™, the IEEE Standard for Online Age Verification. By embedding key provisions of these standards, the regulation ensures that online services follow globally vetted guidelines for protecting children’s data and experiences. IEEE SA recently launched a related certification program to assist industry in conforming to age verification best practices.

“By contributing our neutral, world-class technical expertise to Indonesia’s policy development efforts, we helped address a complex socio-technical challenge—how to make the online world safer for children—in a way that balances innovation and protection,” said Alpesh Shah, IEEE SA Managing Director. “This achievement required unprecedented cooperation across technical, governmental, and civil society domains, and it underlines what is possible when we all work together for our children.”

The engagement in Indonesia serves as a model for collaborative policy development. Inspired by this and other successful engagements, IEEE SA recently launched the Technology Policy Collaborative to further leverage IEEE’s neutral, trusted expertise to help governments address complex technical and societal challenges in strategic areas, such as digital governance. Through efforts like these, IEEE SA reinforces its commitment to being a valued partner in advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

• See more details about this collaboration in Indonesia
• Learn more about how IEEE is enabling trustworthy digital experiences for children

About the IEEE Standards Association

IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) is a collaborative organization where innovators raise the world’s standards for technology. IEEE SA provides a globally open, consensus-building environment and platform that empowers people to work together in the development of leading-edge, market-relevant technology standards, and industry solutions that shape a better, safer, and sustainable world. For more information, visit standards.ieee.org.

About IEEE

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization and is a public charity dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at www.ieee.org.

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"This is an example of IEEE putting its mission into practice in a concrete way to support societal and children’s needs."