Child Psychology Affected During Outbreak

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

A child takes a dip after school on Tuesday (14/7/2020) in the muddy waters off the fishing village of Muara Angke in North Jakarta. The nearby beach and seas, which have become polluted from household waste, is a den of diseases that can endanger the health of the children who play there.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected adults, but also children. Social restrictions imposed during the pandemic put psychosocial pressure on children and adolescents.

This was well realized by the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati. As we approach National Children\'s Day, which falls on July 23, she says children in Indonesia are facing hard times.

For children, it is not easy to stay at home as well as to do schooling from home for a long time. Therefore, the role of parents in accompanying the children is very important.

"This year is a difficult year for children. They cannot go to school, meet friends and teachers, and cannot play outside the house because they have to apply [social] distancing for a while, " said Bintang, in Jakarta, Monday (20/7/2020).

This year is a difficult year for children.

According to a child protection specialist from the United Nations International Children’s Funds (Unicef), Ali Aulia Ramly, if the pressure experienced by children lasts for a long time, there would be a risk of mental illness. "Things that are more serious than being bored are shown in a global study that examines the situation under isolation, including during the war and during the Ebola pandemic. This study shows, when there is a state of isolation, children, especially adolescents, will feel depressed," said Aulia.

He explained that children were vulnerable to various pressures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Excessive fear can arise from the large amount of information they receive about the adverse impacts of the pandemic. The pressure is getting heavier with social restrictions that require children to be at home.

Also read : Protect Our Children

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Fishers’ children play among disused fishing nets on Thursday (16/7/2020) in Kalibaru, Cilincing, North Jakarta. The children use all manner of materials in the area to create unique forms of play.

Three factors

This is in line with a study conducted by Wahana Visi Indonesia through a rapid assessment of the Impact of Covid-19 and Its Effects on Indonesian Children. The study shows that there are three factors that influence children\'s mental health during a pandemic, namely minimal facilities to support online learning, children\'s inability to learn independently, and increased psychosocial pressure from the environment.

Regarding the psychosocial pressure, studies show that 47 percent of children feel bored at home, 35 percent of children worry about being left behind, and 15 percent of children feel uncomfortable to do learning at home. In addition, it was also revealed that 20 percent of children missed their school friends and 10 percent were worried about their parents\' income. According to Aulia, the community, especially parents or people closest to children, should understand the symptoms of psychosocial disturbances, such as decreased enthusiasm for activity, lack of concentration, and difficulty controlling emotions. "If symptoms of the disorder appear, you should immediately consult with experts," said Aulia.

Challenges and risks

The director of Prevention and Control of Mental Health and Drug Problems at the Health Ministry, Fidiansjah, admitted that the new life order during the pandemic provided both challenges and risks of mental health problems to children.

For children aged 0-6 years, challenges occur when parents begin to actively work in the office. For children who are left at home, such conditions tend to be under control if there are caregivers accompanying the children.

Also read : Comprehensive Prevention Never in Place

Conversely, for children who do not have caregivers and are left at a day care home, the parents will be worried. Also, the child is also not yet able to follow various health protocols that are imposed at the day care house.

Challenges also occur among children aged 7-18 years. Children who have to study at home are asked to adapt and to uphold the responsibility of studying. This is increasingly difficult when parents have to work in the office. Children must study independently without parental guidance at home.

Also read : Protect Children as Early as Possible

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Children perch in a breach in the Marunda Beach embankment on Tuesday (30/6/2020) in Cilincing, North Jakarta. The local people, who used to make their livelihood as fishers for many generations, are now starting to hang up their nets and retire their boats. Some have become workers at factories near their houses, which are surrounded by warehouses and port facilities.

However, according to Fidiansjah, the more worrying impact is the increase in violence against children while studying at home. "A much as 62 percent of children experience verbal violence and 11 percent of children experience physical violence," he said.

Violence against children can have serious consequences in the form of emotional wounds. Child victims of violence in the family can also find support on social media to escape from emotional wounds. They join groups on social media that are not controlled and, thus, prone to exploitation.

In its Monday (20/7) edition, Kompas wrote about a group on social media in which children share their sadness over domestic violence involving parents. Group members are free to post invitations to join certain WhatsApp groups. In fact, in the WhatsApp groups, several members were found to have posted photos and videos containing pornographic content.

Also read : Child Victims of Violence Seek Support via Social Media

Bintang also reminded parents to pay special attention when children are at home, accompanying them in their study, including when accessing the internet so as not to be exposed to negative things.

According to her, National Children\'s Day this year must be an opportunity not only to fulfill children\'s rights, but also increase protection for children; especially from physical, psychological and sexual violence.

Digital culture expert Firman Kurniawan of the University of Indonesia’s School of Social and Political Sciences said the roles and responsibilities of app developers should be reviewed further related to the child abuses that take place online on their platform. "When there are irregularities in the development of the use of digital media, the public attention is on the literacy of the users. However, in many cases, literacy has no correlation [with any abuses]. Still, there is adverse use. This is where the role of the platform developers can be reviewed," explained Firman.

(TAN/MTK/SON/SPW).