Strengthening Child Protection Laws in Indonesia: An Integrated Protection Model for Vulnerable Children in the Digital Era

Abstract

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and require comprehensive legal protection against various forms of exploitation, violence, neglect, and abuse. The digital transformation has created both opportunities and risks for children, particularly vulnerable children who are disproportionately exposed to cyberbullying, online grooming, human trafficking, and online child sexual exploitation. This study aims to analyze the legal framework for child protection in Indonesia and develop an integrated protection model to protect vulnerable children in the digital era. This study uses normative legal research with legislative, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The results show that although Indonesia has fairly comprehensive child protection regulations, significant implementation gaps remain due to fragmented institutional coordination, low digital literacy, inadequate prevention mechanisms, and rapidly evolving technological threats. Strengthening child protection requires collaborative governance involving the government, educational institutions, communities, families, and technology companies. This study concludes that adaptive legal reform and an integrated protection system are needed to ensure the sustainability of child protection in an increasingly digitalized society.