Families and Educational Institutions at the Forefront of Eradicating Online Gambling
Jakarta – The government is increasingly aggressively combating online gambling that is disturbing the public. Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid emphasized the role of educational institutions in protecting students from this threat.
“The government is committed to ensuring that the development of digital infrastructure, empowerment of MSMEs, and technology education runs optimally,” said Meutya.
She also had a dialogue with students about the dangers of online gambling and illegal online loans, emphasizing that parental and teacher guidance is crucial.
“Educating children is not just about technology. Parental and teacher guidance is the main key in maintaining and regulating the use of technology so that it is not excessive,” she added.
Meutya highlighted the importance of equalizing telecommunications infrastructure. As a concrete step, her party distributed educational materials in the form of posters, flyers, and simple animated videos to increase students’ awareness of the dangers of negative content, including online gambling and illegal online loans.
“Digital literacy is the main bulwark against negative content. Parents and teachers must be active, not only supervising, but also providing in-depth understanding to children,” he said.
The DKI Jakarta Education Office has also intensified socialization of the dangers of online gambling for students. School principals have been equipped with knowledge about the signs of students who are indicated to be playing online gambling.
Deputy Head of the DKI Jakarta Education Office, Puswosusilo, explained that students who are isolated and have difficulty socializing are one of the indicators that need to be watched out for.
“Another behavior that is a sign is often saying sentences outside the topic of conversation,” he said
Students’ shopping habits are also observed.
“We look at their daily lives, whether they have excess money or suspicious consumption patterns. If there are indications of this, teachers will carry out further monitoring,” he explained.
If students are indicated to be gambling online, teachers may not give sanctions, but must communicate it to parents through Guidance and Counseling (BK) teachers.
“The role of BK teachers is very important in preventing online gambling among students,” said Puswosusilo.
Online gambling can cause social disruption, weaken physical conditions, and reduce concentration in learning.
“They tend to be sleepy in class due to playing online gambling until late at night. If left alone, they can be desperate to find money by breaking the law,” he added.
The potential for negative actions such as stealing or forcing friends to lend money is a serious threat. Therefore, online gambling is considered very detrimental from a physical, mental, and social perspective.
