November 11, 2025 | 10:31 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Following the explosion at State Senior High School or SMAN 72 Jakarta last week, President Prabowo Subianto is considering limiting students' access to violent online games. State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi mentioned that one target for restriction is the online war game, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).
"There are various types of weapons in the game. It's easy to learn, which makes it even more dangerous," Prasetyo said at President Prabowo's residence on Kertanegara Street, Jakarta, on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
The Chair of the Gerindra Party's central executive board (DPP) stated that war games can psychologically normalize violence for children. Prasetyo added that President Prabowo believes the influence of online games is not beneficial for Indonesia's future generation.
The Incident and Government Rationale
The explosion at SMAN 72 Jakarta last Friday resulted in 96 injuries. Police confirmed that the suspected perpetrator, who was also injured in the blast, was a student at the school. The suspect was found lying in a pool of blood near the crime scene with a toy weapon inscribed with the names of international terrorists.
Several student witnesses at SMAN 72 Jakarta reported that the suspect was also a victim of bullying, often drew weapons, and watched violent videos. Based on these initial findings, the government took the initiative to restrict students' access to online games to prevent future acts of school violence.
Expert Skepticism and Calls for Systemic Change
Hetifah Sjaifudin, Chair of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission X, commented on the plan, arguing that the issue of school violence should not be simplified to the factor of games alone. She maintains that students' exposure to violence stems not only from online games but also from social media as a whole.
"It's off-target if the cause of this incident is pinpointed to violence in games," Hetifah stated. "This case is more about indoctrinating children through online media, and we shouldn't focus on the wrong target," she added on Monday, November 10, 2025.
Ida Ruwaida, a sociologist from the University of Indonesia, believes the policy is already too late. Digital violence has long been consumed by Indonesian students through online games, television shows, and social media content. "They are no longer sensitive to violence," Ida said on Monday, November 10, 2025.
Furthermore, Ida argues that reactive policies, such as merely restricting online games, will not solve the root of the problem. She suggests the country must formulate more comprehensive policies by restricting the production of all forms of violence-related content. "Including making it difficult to access them," she concluded.
P2G Demands Data Sovereignty
Aligning with Ida, the Association of Education and Teachers (P2G) also argues that simply restricting online games is insufficient. The government must develop systemic policies by limiting service providers from producing games or content with violent themes.
P2G Coordinator Iman Zaenatul Heri stated that the government must establish data sovereignty in the field of education. She defined data sovereignty as the principle that student data collected by the government is protected and can be utilized to prevent students from accessing harmful content.
With such data, the government could require online game service providers to block student access, even before the game is launched. Iman emphasized that the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) must fundamentally change its approach to handling negative and illegal content.
Without these changes, Iman doubts the effectiveness of restricting students from online games. "Komdigi has never succeeded in stopping online gambling. How can we trust the government to stop violent content in online games?" she challenged.
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