The Impact of Excessive Gadget Use on the Character and Achievement of Elementary School Students

Abstract

The development of digital technology has had a major influence on children's lives, especially in terms of using gadgets. This study aims to find out how too much gadget use affects the attitude and learning outcomes of grade VI children at SD Negeri 1 Tanjunganom. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method, by directly interviewing the teacher. The results showed that using gadgets too often can make students' attitudes worse, such as lack of discipline, lack of care for friends, difficulty controlling emotions, and not being good at socializing. In addition, uncontrolled use of gadgets also makes academic grades decline, difficulty concentrating, and lack of enthusiasm for learning. Family environment factors, parenting and parental supervision play an important role in shaping children's behavior towards gadget use. Teachers and parents must help each other so that children use technology wisely. Digital education, limiting the time of gadget use, and integrating educational technology in learning are recommended as solutions to overcome the negative impact of gadgets on elementary school students.