The Risks and Importance of Parental Supervision in Children's Gadget Use: Observations on Attitudes, Behavior, and Development in Fishery Neighborhood

Abstract

The ubiquitous presence of technology in the form of devices and applications has resulted in a society that heavily relies on gadgets, especially smartphones, for daily activities. This trend is not just limited to adults, as children from the Z generation are also becoming increasingly dependent on gadgets. However, this excessive use of gadgets by children has several negative effects, including addiction to screen time, behavioral changes, early maturation, and more, which many parents seem to be unaware of. To investigate these effects, an explanatory study was conducted using natural observation on 20 children from the Z generation who use gadgets frequently in fishery neighborhood. Data was collected through observation, interviews, and expert judgment, and the results were analyzed descriptively and based on expert explanations. The study found that gadget-using children tend to have a dependence on gadgets for entertainment and often display a decrease in attention to their environment, alertness, difficulty in shifting focus from gadgets, involvement in situations, and motor skills. Therefore, children require control and supervision in gadget usage from parents, caregivers, or teachers, including guidance, content explanation, information restriction, and time management. Moreover, this study emphasizes the importance of parents, caregivers, or teachers having a good understanding of technology use, digital content and information distribution, and the risks and changes brought by technological advances to prevent excessive gadget use among children.