Officials from the Blitar City Government say the policy could strengthen efforts to protect children. They also hope it will help prevent mental health problems at an early stage.

Mujianto, head of the Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning Agency (DP2AP3KB) of Blitar City, welcomed the initiative. He said child mental health has become an important issue that needs serious attention from many sectors.

“We strongly support the nine-ministry joint decree on child mental health because this issue is important for all of us,” Mujianto said on Tuesday (March 11).

He explained that many social problems involving children eventually reach institutions responsible for child protection. Because of this, the local government supports the policy and its implementation in the region.

“Any issue involving children often becomes our responsibility as stakeholders in child protection,” he said.

Mujianto acknowledged that mental health problems among children also appear in Blitar City. However, the most common issue currently relates to excessive use of online games.

“In Blitar, child mental health issues do exist, but many cases involve online gaming addiction,” he said.

Although the city government has not received detailed technical guidelines yet, officials plan to coordinate with several related institutions. The cooperation aims to ensure the program runs effectively at the local level.

Mujianto said coordination between agencies will help strengthen prevention programs and public awareness efforts.

He also emphasized that families play an important role in protecting children’s mental health. Parents can help shape children’s emotional well-being through positive parenting practices.

“Parenting is very important. If families support children’s mental health from an early age, the results will be much better,” he said.