Legal Protection For Children Regarding The Reporting Of Suicides In Digital Media: Content Exploitation And The Risk Of Copycat Suicide — A Case Study In Ngada, East Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

In January 2026, Indonesia was widely concerned by reports concerning the suicide death of an elementary school student in Ngada, East Nusa Tenggara. Digital reporting on a child’s suicide raises complex legal issues. Although the press performs an informational and social-control function, sensational publication, explicit disclosure of a child victim’s identity, repetitive narratives, and the use of photographs or social-media materials may undermine the child’s dignity and increase psychological risks for bereaved families and vulnerable readers. This article examines legal protection for children in suicide reporting through a case study of the death of an elementary school student identified by the initials YBR in Ngada Regency in January 2026. It employs normative legal research using statutory and conceptual approaches, based on legislation, press guidelines, official reports, and scholarly literature. The analysis focuses on the Child Protection Law, the Press Law, the Child-Friendly Reporting Guidelines, and the Guidelines for Reporting on Suicide and Suicide Attempts. The study finds that Indonesia has a normative framework protecting children’s identity and dignity and establishing standards for responsible suicide reporting. However, implementation faces challenges arising from the speed and participatory nature of digital media, content recirculation, and inadequate limits on excessive or sensational material. Copycat suicide should be understood as a population-level risk shaped by multiple factors, not as a causal relationship that can be inferred directly from a single case. The article recommends stronger correction and updating procedures, protection of child victims’ identities, provision of help-seeking information, and more responsive complaint and monitoring mechanisms.