Apr 18, 2018 – Parents of SDN Ketintang 1 Surabaya students had the opportunity to participate in Citi Parenting Talkshow titled “Encouraging Children of Indonesia to Become a Digital Savvy Generation” organized by Citi Indonesia by means of its corporate citizenship umbrella Citi Peka (Peduli dan Berkarya) in partnership with Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI) on Wednesday (18/4). Parents were encouraged to understand the importance of imparting digital skills to their children in order to leverage the use of technological advancement in support of improved education.
A recent multi-national study on cyber security levels conducted by the DQ Institute and the World Economic Forum in 29 countries reveals, on average, 71 percent of 8-12 year olds in Indonesia are at risk of exposure to rampant cybercrimes, e.g., cyberbullying, video games, online grooming, and sexual harassment. It reads that 34 percent of children have been involved in problematic online sexual behavior. Active roles of all parties is to get around the use of technology that adversely affects child behavioral patterns and mental well-being.
Director, Country Head of Corporate Affairs of Citi Indonesia, Elvera N. Makki pointed out, “Digital devices and internet access have play a central role in the younger generation’s way of life these days. Stemming from this issue, as manifestation of Citi’s commitment to the development of Indonesian children, Citi Indonesia together with PJI facilitated young participants collective understanding of finance through using digital learning methodology within the program Digital Financial Literacy for Children. This initiative encouraged parents to engage in the education of their children through the use of digital technology.
The Citi Foundation-funded Digital Financial Literacy for Children program has successfully engaged 2,947 students from 12 primary schools in 5 (five) major cities – namely Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, and Denpasar. The implementation of digital-based financial education programs for elementary school students as developed by Citi Indonesia and Prestasi Junior Indonesia aspires to improve financial knowledge and skills while jointly building positive awareness of the use of technology from an early age.
“At present, digital knowledge and adeptness in the use of associated tools are indispensable for the development of a child’s intellectual skills. They (children) engage in an innovative educational experience in support of achieving a better understanding of money management through the use of education technology wihin the classroom, Working with Citi Indonesia our commitment to reach more Indonesian children is an important consideration as the nation seeks to improve financial literacy and integrate digital learning within classroom environments.” Robert Gardiner, Management Advisor of Prestasi Junior Indonesia asserted.
Child Psychologist Roslina Verauli, M.Psi., Psi., attended the talk show as the speaker passing information on to parents about challenges and parenting strategies addressing technological advances. “Parents may not display outright antipathy and forbid their childs full access to technology. If they do the child may seek access in secret or without their consent and consequently face negative content exposure. If smartphones are innovative so too must parents be equally abel to address the impact innovation has on their childs behaviour. They can arrange; allot and limit duration of device use. When children do their homework, avail them of the Internet so they acquire additional material unobtainable from textbooks or any written source. It is best that parents be open and affirmative and that way, children can thrive hand in hand with technological advances,” said Verauli.
“Citi Indonesia, closely working with our NGO partners, looks forward to continuing the work on a range of social programs, substantially as the government policy substructure, to facilitate rudimentary-level education in the area of financial literacy and inclusion,” said Elvera.
