Deputy Minister of Communication and Information (Wamenkominfo) Nezar Patria invited parents in the digital era to utilize technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) so that children remain safe when in the digital space.

In utilizing AI technology, Nezar said parents can use it for many activities, such as content moderation of negative content to maintaining children's health when using their devices.

"AI can also help parents monitor screen time, of course so that children are not too involved in digital use and overcome their addiction too," said Nezar in a discussion entitled "AI for Children's Online Protection" in Jakarta, Monday.

According to him, it is important for parents to use technology wisely in the increasingly developing digital era, because based on data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in 2023 there will be as many as 175,000 children who will become new users on the internet every day.

Based on data from the Ministry of Communication and Information, in Indonesia alone there are as many as 30 million children who are internet users.

With so many children as internet users, of course the big threats and risks such as negative content, cyberbullying and leakage of children's data are getting bigger.

Nezar said, regarding AI, apart from having a positive impact, it also has many negative potentials if it is not used properly.

For example, manipulating photo and video content using deepfakes and ultimately creating negative content that targets children.

Therefore, the role of parents in the appropriate use of AI in raising children in the digital space needs to be increased. In addition to monitoring children's healthier use of gadgets, parents can use AI to keep their children safe in the digital space.

"AI can be used to detect cyberbullying through security measures and detect patterns of cyberbullying perpetrators, as well as identify perpetrators of online violence through behavioral detection in digital spaces," said Nezar.

Reflecting on these conditions, Nezar invited stakeholders related to children and the use of digital space to support the presence of AI technology that can advance children in Indonesia.