Roblox Game Ban, DPR Proposes Digital Literacy To Enter Student Character Education Curriculum

Illustration of children playing Roblox games on smartphones. (doc. VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR RI, Then Hadrian Irfani agreed with the ban on digital games such as Roblox for students. He also proposed to the Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) to include digital literacy in the national education curriculum.

Digital literacy is important to exist in the school curriculum as part of character education in the digital era. So we encourage the Ministry of Education to develop a digital literacy curriculum framework that is responsive to the social reality of today's children," said Lalu, Monday, August 11.

However, Lalu said, the preparation of the curriculum must involve many parties such as psychologists, educators, the digital community, as well as children and adolescents. This is so that digital literacy, which is expected to be in schools, can contain all the elements needed for students.

"A good curriculum is not only full of digital jargon, but also grounded and contextual, for example, how teenagers judge misinformation on social media, choose age-appropriate shows, and control screen time," said Lalu.

According to the head of the commission in the DPR in charge of education affairs, digital literacy should not only be positioned as a complement or enrichment, but as basic competencies that must be formed from an early age.

Then also assessed that the digitalization phenomenon is a serious challenge for children. Because according to him, children are not only users of technology, but also targets negative algorithms such as gadget addiction, hoaxes, cyberbullying, and manipulation of personal data that must be responded to through education.

"Producing children to use software or access information is no longer enough. What is more urgent is to equip them with critical awareness of algorithms, privacy protection, to contextual understanding of technology ethics," said Lalu.

Therefore, Lalu assessed, the current development is a momentum to reform education so that it not only produces a generation capable of technology, but also wisely and has character in the digital era.

He also reminded that ideal digital education must take sides in the formation of resistance to disinformation, content addiction, and online harassment.

"Children have to understand that not everything that goes viral is true, not everything that's free is safe, and not everything that the algorithm likes is worth following," concluded Lalu.