Is TikTok Replacing the Classroom of Democracy?

JurnalPost.com — A young person might not read the political news this morning. However, that does not mean they are not receiving political information.

While waiting for a ride, resting after a lecture, or simply killing time, a video about government policy, a snippet of an official's statement, criticism of a politician, or a social issue might suddenly appear on their phone screen. They may not have searched for it. The algorithm brought it to them.

It is at this point that the issue of political education for the younger generation becomes interesting: where are young people actually learning about politics today?

This question is increasingly relevant as the younger generation occupies a significant position in Indonesia's democratic life. The General Elections Commission (KPU) stated in September 2026 that Gen Z and millennials make up approximately 56 percent of the Final Voters List (DPT) for the 2024 Election. The KPU also encourages young people not to stop at exercising their right to vote, but to get involved in discussions, oversight, and various forms of democratic participation.

This means the future of Indonesian democracy does not lie solely in the hands of those currently holding political office. That future is also closely related to how the younger generation obtains information, forms views, and determines their stance on various public issues.

And increasingly, this process is taking place in the digital space.

Politics Enters the Phone Screen

On September 3, 2026, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) held a National Discussion with students from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Universitas Brawijaya themed “AI, TikTok, and Politics: Who Determines the Future of Indonesia?”

The choice of this theme was not merely following a technological trend. In its official report, the DPR explained that digital platforms and artificial intelligence have become part of the daily lives of Gen Z. Therefore, the discussion on national insight was packaged through issues close to their lives.

This event provides an important clue: the digital space has become one of the arenas where the younger generation interacts with political and national issues.

However, we need to be careful about calling social media a classroom.

Social media is not a classroom in the conventional sense. There is no curriculum, teacher, syllabus, or exam that regulates what a person should learn.

It is precisely because of this that its influence is sociologically interesting.

Young people do not only learn politics when someone intentionally teaches it to them. They also learn through what they constantly see, what their peers talk about, who they follow, the videos they watch, and the conversations they enter in the digital space.

In sociology, this process can be read as political socialization, which is the process by which individuals acquire knowledge, values, orientations, and attitudes related to political life.

If in the past schools, families, organizations, and mass media were important agents in political socialization, now social media is present as an additional space that is increasingly difficult to ignore.

From Teachers to Algorithms?

This change brings a more fundamental question: who determines what political information reaches young people?

In a classroom, a teacher selects material based on learning objectives. There is an effort to provide context, compare perspectives, test arguments, and correct misconceptions.

Algorithms work with a different logic.

Recommendation systems present content based on various user interaction patterns. Content that attracts attention, receives responses, or is considered relevant to a person's activity can continue to appear in their digital experience.

As a result, a person may feel they are seeing “political reality,” when in fact what is before them is a reality that has gone through a selection process by a recommendation system.

This is where political education in the digital era is not just about access to information. The problem has shifted from a scarcity of information to the ability to filter information.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs stated in June 2026 that the old approach to digital literacy is no longer adequate in facing the development of artificial intelligence. Digital literacy is then directed at strengthening the community's capacity to face disinformation, misinformation, and hoaxes.

In August 2026, the Ministry also reminded that the problem for the younger generation is no longer just a lack of information, but a flood of information mixed with hoaxes, digital fraud, and AI-based content manipulation. Students therefore need to be equipped with critical thinking skills and the habit of verifying information before sharing it.

Thus, the political literacy of young people is becoming increasingly complex.

They not only need to know what is happening, but must also be able to ask: Why did this information appear? Who created and spread it? What is the evidence? Is the source trustworthy? In what context should the information be understood?

Virality Is Not a Measure of Truth

Social media presents both opportunities and challenges for democracy.

The opportunities are quite clear. Social media allows young people to obtain information quickly, follow public issues, express opinions, form communities, and engage in socio-political conversations.

However, speed has consequences.

Complex political issues can be condensed into videos lasting a few seconds. Debates over policy can turn into a single snippet of a statement. Differences in argumentation can shift into conflict between groups.

What is watched the most is not necessarily the most accurate. What is shared the most is also not necessarily the most important.

Therefore, virality should not be equated with validity.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs in April 2026 also highlighted the development of generative AI, which allows the production of manipulative content to occur faster and become increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic information. Such developments can affect the integrity of information and the level of public trust.

In a democracy, this issue becomes serious when the public makes decisions based on information that has never been verified.

Because democracy does not only require the freedom to speak. Democracy also requires citizens who are able to verify before believing and think before sharing.

Schools Do Not Need to Defeat TikTok

So, should schools ban or keep students away from social media?

The answer is not that simple.

Schools cannot—and do not need to—win the competition for students' attention against algorithms. What is far more important is equipping students with the ability to live critically within the digital ecosystem.

Political education therefore needs to move from mere knowledge transfer toward the formation of critical thinking skills.

It is not enough for students to just know the definition of democracy. They need to experience and understand how democratic values work in everyday life.

How to express disagreement without demeaning others?

How to distinguish criticism of policy from personal attacks?

How to verify information before sharing it?

How to listen to views that differ from one's own beliefs?

And no less important, how to turn differences into dialogue, not hostility?

These questions are precisely at the heart of democratic education.

It is in this context that teachers have a role that is difficult for algorithms to replace. A teacher may no longer be the sole source of information, but they can be a facilitator who helps students understand context, test arguments, compare perspectives, and reflect on the social consequences of a viewpoint.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs in May 2026 also emphasized the importance of guidance from teachers and parents so that children are able to distinguish between true and false information, including when facing hoaxes and AI-based information manipulation.

The presence of social media, therefore, can actually be a reason for schools to further strengthen their critical education function.

TikTok Is Not the Enemy of Democracy

Therefore, the question “is TikTok replacing the classroom of democracy?” perhaps does not have to be answered with a “yes” or “no.”

What is happening is far more complex: the space for political socialization is expanding.

Schools remain an important space. Families still have influence. Peer groups still shape views. Mass media still plays a role. However, among all of them, there is now a digital space that is present in the lives of the younger generation every day.

The challenge is not how to return political education only to the classroom. The challenge is how political education can reach the digital life where young people actually interact.

Because when a student opens TikTok, they do not automatically stop being a citizen.

They are still learning about society.

They are still forming views on justice.

They are still determining who to trust.

And, indirectly, they are still learning about politics.

Therefore, the task of education today is not to keep young people away from algorithms, but to equip them so they are able to read algorithms critically.

Ultimately, the most important question is not whether TikTok will replace the classroom of democracy.

The far more important question is:

When young people learn politics from a screen, who is teaching them how to think critically about what they see?

If schools can answer that question, the digital space does not have to be a threat to democracy. It can instead become a new space where the younger generation learns to become critical, dialogical, and responsible citizens.