Pendampingan Orang Tua Dalam Mengelola Screen Time Anak Studi Kasus Perkembangan Kognitif Anak di RA Siti Khodijah

Abstract

The pervasiveness of digital devices has brought screen time into the daily routines of children as young as three to six years old, yet the quality of parental involvement in managing this exposure remains highly variable. Purpose: This study aims to explore patterns of children’s screen time use, forms of parental supervision, cognitive development outcomes, and supporting and inhibiting factors for parents in accompanying their children’s screen time at RA Siti Khodijah, Karangrowo Wonosalam Demak. Methods: A qualitative case study approach was employed, with data collected through in-depth interviews with six parents, two class A2 teachers (Bunda Nur and Bunda Khoir), and the head of RA (Bunda Muayadah), complemented by direct observation of several children. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model and validated through source and technique triangulation. Results: Findings reveal that children are exposed to an average of two to four hours of screen time daily, predominantly through smartphones, and parental supervision ranges from active co-viewing to minimal monitoring. Children who received consistent parental guidance demonstrated stronger cognitive indicators, including improved attention, richer vocabulary, better memory, and more developed problem-solving abilities. Supporting factors included parental awareness and motivation, while inhibiting factors comprised limited digital literacy, demanding work schedules, and the addictive nature of digital content. Conclusion: The novelty of this study lies in its contextually grounded analysis of how parental accompaniment specifically shapes cognitive development outcomes in an Islamic kindergarten setting in rural Central Java, offering insights into culturally responsive strategies for digital parenting in early childhood education.