The mental health of the younger generation has become a crucial challenge demanding serious attention from various parties. Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, called for a collective commitment to build a comprehensive mental health protection and recovery system for children in Indonesia, aiming to foster a competitive future generation.
Data gathered from various sources reveals an alarming situation. According to the Ministry of Health's Free Health Check (CKG) program in January 2026, approximately 363,326 children aged 7 to 17 were identified as showing symptoms of depression. This situation is further heightened by Indonesian National Police (Polri) records showing a significant surge in suicide cases among children aged 0-15, which jumped dramatically from 604 cases in 2022 to 1,498 cases in 2024.
Lestari Moerdijat emphasized that the root of mental health issues often stems from violence experienced by children at home, in schools, or within the community. Therefore, she stressed that mental recovery will not be effective without concrete efforts to completely break the cycle of violence across all fronts.
In formulating solutions, Rerie—as she is affectionately known—urged that every policy drafted must involve children's participation so their perspectives can be accommodated. This real-needs-based approach is considered crucial to ensure interventions are targeted and relevant to the psychological challenges they currently face.
Furthermore, children's mental health is seen as a strategic national investment that will determine the success of the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision. Without a resilient psychological foundation, the next generation will struggle to adapt to global challenges, making synergy from the smallest unit—the family—to state policy the ultimate key to guaranteeing the nation's future.
