Menduk Proud To Call Chat With Children Help Prevent Gadget Addiction

Berduk bangga/Head of BKKBN Wihaji (third row, two from the left) in the Joint Declaration of the Child Friendly Ramadan Movement in Jakarta. (ANTARA/HO-Kemendukbangga/BKKBN)

JAKARTA - In today's digital era, more and more children spend excessive time with devices, both for playing games, watching videos, and interacting on social media.

This condition raises concerns, as uncontrolled use of gadgets can have an impact on children's social, emotional and health developments. One of the efforts to overcome gadget addiction to children is to increase interaction and communication in the family.

Minister of Population and Family Development (Mendukbangga)/Head of BKKBN Wihaji stated that inviting children to discuss and communicate actively can be a solution in preventing dependence on devices.

This statement was made when he attended the "1 Hours of Quality with Non-Gawai Family" Movement during the month of Ramadan, which was marked by the signing of a joint declaration in the Ramadan Movement for Child Friendly across ministries/agencies in Jakarta, as quoted by ANTARA.

"One of the main challenges in parenting today is the lack of communication between parents and children because they are busy with digital devices. Many parents interact more with their cellphones, so that children end up looking for entertainment through their devices," said Wihaji.

As a concrete step, he invites parents to talk to their children more often. "I'm not against using cellphones, but I want to invite parents to start with a simple thing: spend time chatting with children. With good communication, emotional closeness will be closer," he added.

This movement is part of the government's efforts to improve the quality of child care. This activity was initiated by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemen PPPA) with the support of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK), the Ministry of Education and Culture/BKKBN, the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), and the Office of the Presidential Staff (KSP).

The "1 Hours of Quality with Family Without Devices" movement aims to raise public awareness about the importance of quality parenting in building children's character. This program emphasizes five main strategies, namely strengthening children's character education, increasing parenting capacity, establishing supportive family environments, active community roles, and policy support from the government.

Through this movement, it is hoped that families can create a more harmonious environment, improve children's mental health, and encourage them to be involved in various beneficial family activities.

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifatul Choiri Fauzi added that the month of Ramadan is the right moment to strengthen family relations through higher quality parenting.

"We hope that Ramadan will not only become a month of worship, but also an opportunity for families to strengthen togetherness. Through this movement, children not only get better religious education, but also feel the love and full attention of their parents," said Arifatul.

With this initiative, the government hopes that more families will realize the importance of quality care, so that Ramadan becomes a more meaningful time for the growth and development of Indonesian children.