The Influence of Children's Gadget Use Intensity on Their Social Skills

Abstract

Social skills play an important role in preventing negative behavior and can be developed every day. It depends on temperament, social cognitive abilities, and interactions. This research aims to determine the effect of the intensity of gadget use by young children on their social skills. Apart from that, the aim is to determine the influence of gadget use by young children on gadget use which is mediated by parents' social skills. This research uses a quantitative method design through observation techniques and questionnaires. The research results showed a significant influence on the intensity of gadget use by children in the Patikraja area on social skills (P = 0.742; P > 0.05). The intensity of gadget use of PAUD students in Patikraja which is mediated by parents' gadget use on social skills has a significant effect (P=0.001; P<0.05) with B values of -0.61 and -5.345. The increasing intensity of gadget use by children in Patikraja, mediated by the intensity of parents' gadget use, causes a decline in social skills of 7.6%. This shows a significant influence between the intensity of gadget use by children and their social skills which is mediated by the intensity of parents' gadget use.
 Keywords: intensity, gadgets, social skills