Netflix Partners With ICT Watch to Showcase Content and Controls for Indonesian Families

On August 5, Netflix and ICT Watch launched a new partnership with an event that brought together leading experts across parenting, online safety, and government, to discuss the importance of family-friendly content in Indonesia.

This is the first partnership between Netflix and ICT Watch, reaffirming Netflix's commitment to Indonesian families and its kids and family-focused library of titles. Netflix continues to be a trusted destination for Kids & Family entertainment, representing 15% of total viewing.

"Since Netflix began streaming in Indonesia, our first commitment has been to continue entertaining members in the country. We are proud that there are more than 450 Indonesian titles available on our service and we're continuing to invest in family-friendly and child-friendly content," said Ruben Hattari, Netflix Director of Global Affairs, Southeast Asia. "Netflix is committed to providing a fun viewing experience for the whole family. We greatly appreciate the collaboration with ICT Watch, as their mission and objectives align perfectly with our goal of being a safe platform for families in Indonesia."

Commemorating Hari Anak Nasional and Indonesia's Independence Day, yesterday's Membangun Keluarga Digital Indonesia di Era Streaming event featured speakers including, Angga Dwimas Sasongko (Visinema Founder and CEO), Indriyatno Banyumurti (ICT Watch Executive Director), Ibu Fifi Aleyda Yahya (Director General of Public Communications and Media), Diena Haryana (SEJIWA founder), and Ruben Hattari (Netflix Director of Global Affairs, Southeast Asia).

"Platforms like Netflix are not merely sources of entertainment, but also gateways to learning experiences, cultural exploration, and engagement with the world," said Ibu Fifi Aleyda Yahya, Director General of Public Communications and Media. "Building resilient digital families is a shared responsibility. The government cannot do it alone. Today's event is a perfect example of the kind of multi-stakeholder collaboration we need."

The Evolution of Indonesian Kids & Family Content

Speakers across parenting communities shed light into how streaming is changing family viewing habits, as well as the value of Kids & Family programming in the local entertainment landscape.

Ario Pratomo, Co-Founder of Parentalk ID, discussed how streaming content plays an important role in shaping children's perspectives and fosters a safe environment for family-friendly entertainment. "We can give [children] screening time in the sense that we accompany them watching anything they might want to watch. The challenge may lie in finding something that you can enjoy together or it might be difficult for parents to enjoy watching children's shows, but please try it."

Catur Ratna Wulandari (Editor in Chief, Digital Mama ID & Screen Score), reflected on the current trends of Kids & Family content. She drew from her experience leading the Screen Score for Indonesian families, and how it guides parents to make viewing decisions for their children. "We are a digital media platform focused on digital literacy for mothers. We provide a space for parents to write reviews of any digital content that include movies, series, e-books, apps, and games. These are all what children consume daily," she said, "Each family has different values and we may not have time to watch all the content. We invite parents to provide their reviews."

Filmmaker Angga Dwimas Sasongko, who leads Visinema and produced the hit Indonesian film, Jumbo , shared how the film stayed true to Indonesian culture, enabling audiences - especially children - to see themselves on screen.

He shared Visinema's vision to continue creating family-friendly content for Indonesian audiences, saying, "We released The Cemara Family in 2019, which became our first box-office hit. From there, we've been committed to have a department focused on creating films and content for children and families. We believe that this kind of content is timeless; we call it evergreen IP. I see it as investing in the future, because if the industry wants to succeed, we must successfully nurture the future of our audience. When children have literacy skills from an early age, what will grow is an audience that will not only be able to choose but also be able to process quality content and stories."

He also reflected on the film's success in Indonesia and its message that resonated with Indonesian children, adding, "For Jumbo , Visinema chose universal themes such as friendship, resilience, as well as the possibility of parting from loved ones for children at an early age. The biggest challenge when we speak to children is we have to know them, their wisdom and language. In creating children's content, we have to understand their language today. We have to move and learn alongside our children. The challenge lies in how we let go of ourselves and our egos as adults and how to become children again."

Helping Parents Shape Their Children's Netflix Viewing Experience

Programming for kids and families is only one part of Netflix's offering, and it's important that all viewers have choice and control over what they watch.

In her welcome remarks, Ibu Fifi Aleyda Yahya also shared her thoughts on Netflix's features, saying, "We warmly welcome the initiative of parental control features, age classification systems, and secure profiles. These features give parents greater control while also providing peace of mind that their children are exploring a safe digital environment."

Ruben Hattari highlighted how Netflix's parental controls empower parents to make informed viewing decisions for their children and themselves.

These features, he said, recognize that every family is different and Netflix provides families with the tools they need to personalize their children's viewing experience. "Parental control features are very useful but there must also be parental presence, involvement, and commitment. There's a saying that the biggest present for your kids is your presence, and part of this can be fulfilled by watching Netflix together with your kids. This allows an opportunity for parents to have discussions with their children about the content you watch, let's say a new form of education."

Netflix's parental control features include:

• Creating a Netflix Kids profile: Parents can easily control their child's access to content on Netflix, starting with creating a Netflix Kids profile, which will only play TV shows and movies carefully selected for kids, and won't allow access to account settings.

• Customising profile maturity ratings: As your child grows, so does their taste. Netflix makes it easy for parents to change profile maturity ratings, allowing their children to only see TV shows, movies, and games that fit that rating. Parents can also block specific TV shows or movies from the kid's profile.

• Setting profile locks: Parents can set a profile lock - a 4-digit pin - that prevents other users, including kids, from accessing a specific profile on the account, and from adding a new profile.

• Accessing viewing history: Parents can keep a close eye on their child's viewing activity and ensure they are only watching shows and movies that are suitable for them.

Parenting in a Digital Space

The event closed with a session featuring experts focused on digital literacy, including ICT Watch's Executive Director, Indriyatno Banyumurti. He emphasized that their partnership with Netflix is key to ICT Watch's broader advocacy of responsible digital parenting, saying, "Children can be negatively influenced by the internet when parents who think they're technologically illiterate distance themselves from technology. When parents distance themselves from technology instead of learning it, this becomes a major challenge and for me personally the most difficult. Technology shouldn't be perceived as something foreign, but rather something accessible."

Yayasan Sejiwa Amini (SEJIWA) founder Diena Haryana also underscored how streaming content together as a family sparks important conversations, creates bonding moments, and encourages learning for children.

Families can enjoy a wide variety of globally beloved series and films, including: Ms. Rachel, Gabby's Dollhouse, Peppa Pig, My Melody & Kuromi, and the upcoming Sesame Street.