The Importance Of Digital Literacy In Schools And Game Filters For Children

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, highlighted the negative impact of technological developments on children such as violence, bullying or bullying, and the criminal realm. He emphasized the importance of digital literacy material for children in school.

Digital literacy can help children understand the right ethics and behavior in cyberspace. They are taught how to communicate politely and respect others on various online platforms," said Puan, Tuesday, October 3.

Puan highlighted the case of the suicide of a student in North Middle East (TTU) Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) recently. The 16-year-old woman was desperate to end her life by hanging herself because she got cyber harassment due to her exciting photos circulating on social media. Ironically, the student recorded herself hanging by using a cell phone.

In addition to the cyber harassment case, another impact of the lack of digital literacy can be seen in the case of burning a school by students of SMP Negeri 1 Temanggung due to experiencing cyber bullying.

The student with the initials AR (14) burned his own school because he was often bullied by his friends. AR is allegedly bullied by being verbally bullied and bullied on social media.

Reflecting on the two events, Puan said digital literacy plays a very important role for children so that they can filter out things that are not good from the incessant development of technology.

Digital literacy in formal learning is expected to help reduce cases of harassment in cyberspace, cyberbullying and increase children's understanding of the impact of words and online actions, said the first woman to serve as chairman of the DPR.

With strong digital literacy, children can understand the source of information, evaluate potential, and make better decisions based on information obtained from cyberspace.

"Digital literacy is no longer just an option, but a must for children's education in the present and future," said Puan.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (kemendikbudristek) is asked to include an understanding of digital literacy in educational units. According to Puan, the implementation of the Independent Curriculum for Learning needs to pay attention to the impact of the technological era's progress.

'Children equipped with digital literacy can identify and avoid potential online risks such as cyber bullying, fraud, and inappropriate content. They will also know how to protect their privacy online,' he explained.

Not only students, teachers are also said to need to understand the essence of digital literacy, including the concept of technological advances that affect student life as a whole. It will also be an obstacle in all forms of cyber bullying, cyber harassment and cyber phenomena.

Teachers should also be given training on digital security, including how to protect their own personal information and advise students about safe online security practices, said Puan.

"They also have to know how to deal with potential threats such as cyber bullying for students," continued Bung Karno's grandson.

Furthermore, Puan also emphasized the urgency of the role of parents in limiting children from using gadgets. He said parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children understand digital ethics

"Including how to interact with other people politely in cyberspace and avoiding harmful behavior. Although not only behavior in cyberspace is a reflection of the real world, they are often continuous with each other," said Puan.

"Parents have to create an environment where children feel comfortable talking about their experiences on the internet and reporting problems they may face," he added.

On the other hand, Puan highlighted children who are addicted to gaming and social media so that they forget their real life. He reminded that there are many examples of children experiencing depression or other mental problems due to gadget addiction.

"Of course, this has fatal consequences in children's growth and development. Too much time spent playing games can lead to mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and social isolation. Children who are addicted to gaming often ignore their school and social obligations," said Puan.

Referring to data from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), there are 1.5 million children aged 10-18 years who are depressed due to game addiction in 2022. Therefore, Puan invites parents to set a healthy time limit for the use of gadgets and games.

Make sure the children understand this limit with educational decisive action. Encourage children to participate more in positive activities in other activities outside the home and school," the mother of two urged.

'Be aware of the types of games that your children play. Make sure the games or platforms they use are appropriate for their age and do not contain inappropriate content,' added Puan.

Puan also asked the Government to provide game filters for children.

"There must be a firm limit so that children cannot access games that smell of violence, crime, or porn, and other bad forms. The firmness of restrictions or game filters from the Government is very important," he said.

"The government must be able to ensure that children cannot access games or platforms that are not age-appropriate. Because games can affect children's behavior in the real world because children can imitate what is in the game," concluded Puan.