UNAIR NEWS – Teenagers jumping in front of moving trucks in the TikTok challenge became a trend just a while ago. The deadly trend sparked protest among the public.
Lecturer of Faculty of Psychology UNAIR, Dr Wiwin Hendriani SPsi MSi shared her thoughts on the challenge. She explained that leaping in front of a moving truck for content is a part of the behavioral problem in adolescents as a result of incorrect learning process in facing social media trends.
The Head of the Indonesian Developmental Psychology Association (IPPI) further stated that adolescents are not fully mature yet in their developmental stage. They are still in the process of recognizing and developing their identities.
“Hal ini bermuara pada sikap dan perilaku remaja yang labil, mudah terbawa pengaruh sekitar, mudah terstimulasi oleh hal-hal yang menarik baginya, dan banyak didorong oleh kebutuhan memperoleh pengakuan orang lain,” jelas Wiwin, Rabu (15/6/2022).
The roles of parents and family
Wiwin explained that the first step in overcoming the dangerous online trend is the role of parents and family guides for adolescents. The guidance can be measured through the following questions:
- Have the children received proper stimulation of development to strengthen their self-control?
- Have the parents and family provided proper guidance for children to understand themselves in emotional management and gain knowledge and social skills which enable them to control their behavior in the midst of diverse surroundings?
“In most cases of behavioral problems in child and adolescents, it’s commonly found that the problems are rooted in the poor quality relationship between child and parents,” said Wiwin.
She further added that behavioral problems in adolescents frequently arise due to conflict or inconvenience in the family. As a result, they divert the conflict by seeking pleasure or recognition elsewhere.
Parents need to realize that watching their children grow and nurturing them are two different things. Every stage has its own characteristics and special needs. Therefore, parents need to adjust either way.
“Nurturing children with supporting the adolescents’ thinking skills should be done through dialogues and discussion, expanding the topic discussion that provides stimulations to enrich their knowledge with various insights,” she said.
Social support
Quoting from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, Wiwin emphasized that apart from parents and family, school, which consists of teachers and friends, is a microsystem in individual growth and development that need to be optimized for their positive roles.
Author: Tristania Faisa Adam
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
