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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v5i4.7055
Mother’s Role in Minimizing Phubbing Potential in Early Childhood: A Social Pathology Perspective
Mahmuriati1, Nurul Khansa Fauziyah2, Nurul Hikmah3, Hartini Mudarsa4, Desi Murni Lasari5
1,2,3,4,5Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Lhokseumawe
mahmuriamisa@gmail.com, nurulkhansa@iainlhokseumawe.ac.id, nurulhikmah@iainlhokseumawe.ac.id, desimurnilasari@gmail.com, hartinimudarsa23@gmail.com
I. Introduction
Technological developments touch all age levels. The continuous discovery of technology expands human space and makes daily activities getting simpler. Technology also makes information more accessible. Currently, there are a lot of smartphones sold at the low prices. Smartphones distributed throughout the world, even, can be purchased online. Smartphones contain various features that can be used as a source of entertainment for humans. The accessibility of smartphones to various digital platforms makes people entertained anywhere and anytime, including for early childhood. Children aged 2-6 years belong to the category of early childhood. Seventy percent of them already use smartphone. Parents have a role in minimizing the bad effects of smartphones. According to (Cho & Lee, 2017) the higher level of parental self-evaluation of children's smartphone use, the lower influence of children's smartphone addiction tendencies on their problematic behavior. Development is a systematic and continuous effort made to realize something that is aspired. Development is a change towards improvement. Changes towards improvement require the mobilization of all human resources and reason to realize what is aspired. In addition, development is also very dependent on the availability of natural
Abstract
A mother has a significant role in minimizing the adverse effects of smartphone usage for children, including the risk of Phubbing.
Dependence on smartphones can make children lazier and not interested in physically interacting with their playmates. In fact, social beings must be able to interact and care about their environment. Phubbing in early childhood can occur if there is no parental role in controlling smartphone use. This study focuses on the mother’s role in minimizing Phubbing behavior since early childhood. This is descriptive research with qualitative approach.
This study uses a purposive sampling technique with the characteristics of mothers who have children aged 2-6 years who are lightly addicted to smartphone. This study found that the way mothers deal with smartphone addiction in early childhood are by;
observing carefully the children's activities, teach a good habit, discipline practice, make good communication. Dependence on smartphones and phubbing behavior is one of the pathological behaviors, as one of the consequences of human maladjustment on modernization that occurs quickly. Therefore, a mother needs to control the use of smartphones for her children, so that the potential for phubbing in children can be minimized.
Keywords
phubbing; smartphone; early childhood; mother
Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal) Volume 5, No 4, November 2022, Page: 29039-29044 e-ISSN: 2615-3076 (Online), p-ISSN: 2615-1715 (Print)
www.bircu-journal.com/index.php/birci email: birci.journal@gmail.com
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resource wealth. The availability of natural resources is one of the keys to economic growth in an area. (Shah, M. et al. 2020)
At this time the use of smartphones is not only seen in terms of age, because Smartphones have touched all ages. Active Healthy Kids Canada reported in 2014 that children 3 to 5 years old spend an average of 2 hours per day in front of screens. In the USA, rates of mobile media use among 2- to 4-year-olds increased from 39% to 80%
between 2011 and 2013 (Ponti et al., 2017). If a child uses a smartphone too often, they can have difficulty in socializing, has sleep disorders, preferes to be alone, and and the risk of experiencing cyberbullying (Iswidharmanjaya & Agency, 2014). Amelia stated that the phenomenon of phubbing appears with the increasing dependence of individuals on smartphones and the internet. Smartphone addiction is caused by human dependence on devices to find out the latest information, get entertainment, show self-achievement, as well as social and academic demands (Amelia et al., 2019). Research conducted by Raharjo (Raharjo, 2021) shows that the higher the intensity of accessing the internet, the higher the level of phubbing behavior and vice versa.
Early childhood is also known as the golden age period. Child development at this time consists of; rough motoric, fine motoric, socialization, cognitive and language. This golden period in the growth of a child, only lasts once in a human's life. During this period, children's brain development is growing rapidly. Children respond and learn quickly about new things around them. Therefore, at this phase, stimulation is very important to optimize children's brain development. The brain will grow if a lot of stimulation is given. In essence, early childhood needs an environment that is able to stimulate growth and development both physically and psychologically. Many parents deliberately give and let their children play with smartphones (aged 3-6 years), even though this age range is not feasible to use smartphones. One of the reasons parents allow their children to play smartphones is so that their children sit quietly. (Novitasari & Khotimah, 2016)
However, many parents do not understand about this golden age, so they do not try to recognize and discover their child's potential. The indifference of parents to this golden age is marked by the provision of smartphones without supervision, so that children do not go through the stages of development to the fullest. Mothers must take a special approach to their children if they are indicated to be dependent on smartphones. To strengthen the relationship can be done by (Santosa, 2014) having constant communication with the children; spending time together; be a wise parent; keeping promises; treat children according to their age; praise the child if they do something well; being supportive; and joking properly.
II. Research Method
Based on observations and interviews with relevant figures, as well as thematic analysis of various narratives of phubbing in early childhood, this paper describes the role of mothers in minimizing the potential for phubbing in early childhood. With a qualitative approach, this study looks at the efforts of mothers in minimizing the intensity of smartphone use by their children. Research informants are 7 mothers with children who are already dependent on smartphones, in Keude Blang Me Pulo Klat, North Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Researchers also observed 10 of their children. Aspects that were interviewed were the method of supervision carried out by the mother; observing all their children's activities, practicing good habits, training children's discipline.
Participation observation was carried out by visiting the informant's house and the children
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who were the object of observation. This work argues that the mother's role is very important in minimizing the potential for phubbing in early childhood. Because the mother is the closest person in the life of early childhood. Phubbing is one proof of human failure to adapt to the rapid modernization.
III. Result and Discussion
Social change is one of the branches of study in the social sciences. Sociologists categorize social change into two, positive social change and negative social change.
Social change in a positive direction can be seen from the development of science, as well as reforms in society that do not harm various parties and so on. While social change in a negative direction can be seen from the emergence of various forms of problems that occur in society and endanger other communities. This social change in a negative direction is called social pathology or social disease (Badi’ah, 2018). One of the social pathologies that will be discussed in this article is Phubbing. Potential phubbing can be detected early, can also be controlled early. Parents have a big role in minimizing the potential for child phubbing behavior, especially the role of a mother. Phubbing behavior has relevance to human dependence on smartphones. It becomes even more dangerous if it occurs in early childhood. Dependence on smartphones can make children more lazy and not interested in physically interacting with their playmates. In fact, social beings must be able to interact and care about their environment. Parents are required to have parenting knowledge, especially in terms of controlling the use of smartphones in early childhood. Early age is the moment to optimize various potentials towards a quality future (Uce, 2015).
Therefore, this study was conducted with in-depth interviews with 7 mothers who have early childhood who intensively use smartphones. The 7 mothers who were interviewed were Nurhayati (35), Masyitah (35), Nurmalita (32), Ernawati (33), Mursyidah (32), Rasyidah (29), and Nilawati (27). According to John W. Santrock, mothers have an important managerial role for the socio-emotional development of children. As a
“manager”, mothers are allowed to manage their children to make social contact with peers and adults. In addition, another important aspect of managerial roles is effective monitoring of children, including monitoring children's choices about where they socialize, engage in activities, and make friends (Santrock, 2017). Nurhayati (35) has two daughters aged three and six. Both are allowed to use smartphones since they were two and four years old. Nurhayati's effort to reduce her children's dependence on smartphones is to look for alternative activities, such as inviting children to play together and cycling together.
She teaches her children good habits such as saying “please”, “thank you”, apologies, and greetings. She also teaches discipline to her children by applying smartphone use schedule, applying sleep and eating schedule, also giving punishment if the children do not obey the rules, by confiscating his smartphone. Nurhayati always maintains good and gentle communication with her children, telling stories and asking her children's aspirations to foster positive feelings for them. This effort is done to reduce the phubbing potential in her children in the future.
Masyitah (35) has a five years old daughter named Salsabila. Her daughter knows how to operate smartphones and tablets since she was three years old. Masyitah allows her daughter to operate a smartphone while Masyitah is working. In average, her daughter operates smartphone up to five times a day, including playing games and watching cartoons before going to bed. Masyitah trains discipline and firmness to her daughter by requiring to ask permission if she wants to use smartphone. After operating smartphone she must store the smartphone in its place. Masyitah makes a schedule for Salsabila using
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smartphones. From the results of observations, Masyitah has observed well her daughter’s activities at home and teached good habits, giving clear rules to her daughter in using smartphone. She communicates well with her daughter by telling stories while relaxing, not interrupting when her daughter telling stories, and firmly advising not to play smartphones too often. All these efforts are made so her daughter are not dependent on smarphone which make she does not care about her social environment
Nurmalita (32) has children aged two and six years old. Her first child started using smartphone at the age of three, and her second child started using smartphone at the age of two. He gave permission for his children to use smartphones so as not to disturb him while doing household chores. The features in smartphones that his children like are games and cartoons. The average frequency of their smartphone use is 10 times a day, for 40 minutes per time. He tries to reduce the use of his child's smartphone by cutting off the internet network on his smartphone. Just like other mothers, she tries to keep an eye on her children's activities at home. He also teaches good habits to his children, and trains discipline in the use of smartphones. Nurmalita arranges a schedule for using smartphones for her children and will reprimand her children if they violate the rules.
Another informant, Ernawati (33), has two children aged three and six years. Both started using smartphones at the age of three years old. Not only smartphones, they also use tablets. Her children love to watch cartoons, learn to read, learn to memorize Arabic letters, learn to count number, by the features in the smartphone. She tries to give toys to distract his children from playing with the smartphone. When visiting Ernawati's house, author observed the interaction between the mother and children. Seems like Ernawati maintaining and observing all her children's activities at home. She accompanies her children while playing with smartphones. In addition, she also teaches good habits to her children as well as telling stories. She trains children's discipline in using smartphones by arranging a schedule for using smartphones.
Author did an interview with Mursyidah (32), the mother of a four-year-old child.
She said that her daughter started operating a smartphone since she was 3 years old. She gave her smartphone when her daughter was crying, to calm her down. But these habits make her daughter become dependent on smartphones day by day. To reduce this habit, she tried to cut down the intensity of smartphone use for her daughter. If her daughter has a tantrum when not allowed to use a smartphone, she picks and takes her child out for a walk to neighbor or friend's house. Children who are at an early age have several aspects such as: physical, emotional, social and cognitive aspects that are very active and have mastery over themselves. Early childhood will be more expressive of their emotions, and most of them will be happy to speak according to their group (Patmonodewo, 2008).
Mursyidah also tries to supervise her daughter as much as possible when operating a smartphone, and maintains good communication with her daughter. On another occasion, Mursyidah tried to communicate with her daughter when she was about to asked her daughter to return the smartphone. Her daughter should cry but Mursyidah will explain the reason well. When his daughter stopped crying and calmed down he asked for the smartphone to be returned. Mursyidah exemplifies good habits in her daughter, such as saying “please” when giving instructions to her daughter and saying politely as often as possible. She also applies discipline in using smartphones to her daughter. From the observations, it can be concluded that Mursyidah has carried out good supervision of her daughter by consistently monitoring her daughter’s activities at home.
Nilawati (27) has a two-year-old daughter. Her daughter started using a smartphone when she was two years old. At first, Nilawati allowed her daughter to use a smartphone intensively because she often felt disturbed when washing clothes and cooking at home.
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But then she was worried if her daughter was dependent on a smartphone. Then she gave her daughter a doll, a cooking toy, and took her child to play outside the house. The observation results show that Nilawati is quite consistent in monitoring her child's activities while using a smartphone. She was with his sdaughter all day long. This condition brought her closer to her daughter. Nilawati always exemplifies good habits to her daughter, by saying "thank you" if she is helped and apologizing if she makes a mistake. Based on information from the interviews and observations, this study found various methode the mother tries to minimize the phubbing potential of their children. In general, the efforts aimed to reducing the intensity of smartphone use of their children, applying discipline in the use of smartphones, engaged children to do physical activities that can distract them from smartphone. In addition, mothers exemplifies good habits, communicate well with children, and applied reward and punishment concept.
According to Vebrianto in Kertati (Kertati, 2020), social pathology has two meanings. First, social pathology means an investigation of scientific disciplines about social disorganization and social maladjustment, which discusses the meaning, existence, causes, results, and corrective actions (treatment) of factors that interfere with or reduce social adjustment. Second, social pathology means a sick or abnormal social condition in a society. Dependence on smartphones and phubbing behavior is one of the pathological behaviors, as one of the consequences of human maladjustment on modernization that occurs quickly. Indonesian society, especially in remote areas such as Keude Blang Me Pulo Klat village, are not ready for the rapid development of technology. Currently, the price of smartphones is relatively cheap, easy to get, so almost everyone already has a smartphone. This unpreparedness makes humans unable, or rather not understanding, how to control the use of smartphones for themselves and especially for their children. In social pathology perspective, this condition is called "maladjsutment", which is human error in the process of adjusting to the arrival of technology in the modernization era. Therefore, a mother needs to control the use of smartphones for her children, so that the phubbing potential can be minimized.
IV. Conclusion
The role of mothers in supervising excessive smartphone use in early childhood in North Aceh district is very important. Mothers practice discipline by setting a time limit for using smartphones per day, locking smartphones, so that children don't easily access smartphones. Reducing the intensity of smartphone use in children can reduce the potential for phubbing in the future. Parents can be firmly making strict rules for using smartphones.
In addition, mothers can involve themselves directly in their children's playing activities, facilitating children with physical games that could train their motor and thinking skills, such as cooking games, toy cars, and dolls. Mothers also need to train their children to get used to saying "sorry", "please" and "thank you". This aspect is strongly supported by good communication between mother and child, by telling stories to each other and asking children's feelings after going through the day. Parents' efforts to minimize the potential for phubbing also reduce the potential for future social problems.
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