The challenges of educating children in the digital era were explored during recent seminars in Indonesia, where Jonathan Sanchez, Director of Education at Paradigm Treatment Centers Malibu, was among several experts speaking on the topic.

The seminars took place at Sebelas Maret University and Staimas University, where audiences learned how to manage the growth and development of children, along with the development of the millennial era.

What Are the Challenges?

The current challenges are huge, Sanchez said during his presentation, noting that with the presence of gadgets, teachers and parents need to provide proper parenting, and teachers must be able to inspire their students so that children have a culture that can be useful for the future.

The increasing use of gadgets for parents also influences the development of children, because it decreases the intensity of interaction between children and parents. As a result, meaningful family conversations can diminish when parents are busy with a digital device.

“All teachers, if they want to be successful, must at least have criteria that is consistent, clear and cultural,” Sanchez said during the seminar.

Here’s a brief rundown of the valuable information presented during this international event; while some information directly ties to Indonesia, these principles can be applied on a global level – especially as technology continues to grow.

The current millennial era is really dilemmatic, since educating children is now facing difficult and different challenges. The millennial era is closely related to the digital era, and nowadays, a smart phone user can easily access information.

A survey by the ministry of communication and information revealed that 98% of children and adolescents in Indonesia know about the internet, and around 79.5% of them are internet users.

Tips for Parents on Educating Children

The role of parents in educating children becomes more challenging since children will interact more often with the Internet than with their peers.

The increasing use of gadgets for parents also influences the development of children, because it decreases the intensity of interaction between children and parents. As a result, meaningful family conversations can diminish when parents are busy with a digital device.

For these reasons, parents should be more aware of the following:

First, parents must clearly understand the use of internet and social media along with the millennial demands. Parents must flexibly adjust to be a supervisor and a friend for their children even in social networking account. It will simply make children aware of what they will post in their account.

Second, parents need to spend quality time with their children, even if it is brief. Building communication on weekends by taking a walk or just talking about usual habits will be very valuable. Parents need to spare some of their time to discuss this with their children, even if it is daily before they leave for work.

Third, parents should always cultivate positive values in their children. Cultivating values in children will get children thinking positively. The cultivation of values and principles allows children to not only work towards a just and civilized humanity, but also promotes unity, democracy led by the representatives of the people, and social justice for all. Of course, in its application, parents need to set an example by practicing these in their daily lives. This method will have a positive impact on their child’s personality, and build a good mindset.

Fourth, parents must technically impose the limitation of the use of gadgets. When gathering together with family, each family member needs to be banned from playing with their cell phones or other devices. It aims to create a harmonious family atmosphere, and reduces miscommunication.  

Fifth, parents need to install a negative-content-blocking application on their children’s smart phone. This is in order to make the children access appropriate content according to their age limits, so that children are not affected by inappropriate content from the Internet or social media.