Parents often find practicing digital parenting difficult due to generational differences and adaptation to digital media. Nowadays, parents belong to the generation of digital immigrants, who grew up before the birth of digital media. Meanwhile, children belong to the digital generation, also called digital natives, as they were born when digital media already existed. The online lecture held by CPMH, Faculty of Psychology UGM raised this topic on Monday (26/4).
Characteristics of the digital generation include being active in expressing their identity, having broad insight, liking freedom, wanting to have control, relying on technology, enjoying the online environment, having the ability to adapt to new technologies, and being able to multitask.
“By knowing the characteristics of each digital generation, especially digital natives, we hope that educators and parents can understand so that they can determine the appropriate way to teach children,” said CPMH Psychologist of the Faculty of Psychology, Wirdatul Anisa.
Another CPMH psychologist, Nurul Kusuma, said digital parenting is how parents accompany their children to maximize the benefits of the digital environment and minimize the negative impacts. This does not mean that parents should always be physically present by the child when the child is interacting with digital media. But overall, it also includes initial education about digital media and evaluating the use of digital media.
She explained the stages in nurturing digital media: (1) instructive media, providing understanding to children regarding digital media, (2) mediation for watching together, the presence of parents when children are active with digital media, (3) limited media, the application of rules for children regarding digital media, and (4) technical media, the use of digital activity control and monitoring activity for children.
Both psychologists also explained digital parenting practices, including increasing digital literacy, recognizing the positive and negative sides of the digital era, teaching children to choose internet information correctly, evaluating the content with children, creating a healthy digital environment, and introducing ethics in cyberspace interactions.
With good and healthy communication patterns, it is easier for parents to adapt to children’s behaviors when interacting with digital media.
“The key to digital parenting is parent-child communication,” said Nurul.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21063-pengasuhan-di-era-digital
