Analisis Dampak Penggunaan Smartphone Pada Perkembangan Remaja Di Kelurahan Sunggal

Abstract

Smartphones have become an inseparable part of teenagers' lives in the current digital era. These devices offer easy access to information, entertainment, and communication, but they also pose risks to adolescent development, particularly in cognitive, social, and emotional aspects. In Kelurahan Sunggal, Kecamatan Medan Sunggal, Kota Medan, smartphone use among teenagers is very high, supported by easily accessible internet infrastructure, numerous coffee shops and internet cafes with low-cost Wi-Fi, and the culture of hanging out after school. According to the Theory of Adolescent Development (Steinberg, 2014; Erikson, 1968; Piaget, 1972), adolescence is a vulnerable period due to neurological imbalance (hyperactive reward system compared to immature impulse control), high cognitive abilities but weak self-regulation, and strong needs for identity and peer recognition. The Uses and Gratifications Theory (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974) explains that teenagers actively choose smartphones to fulfill needs for entertainment, escape, social integration, and identity expression. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1979) illustrates that this pattern is reinforced by the microsystem (peers and coffee shops), mesosystem (school-family), exosystem (parents' busyness and affordable data packages), macrosystem (urban culture), and chronosystem (intergenerational digital gap). Meanwhile, the Theory of Parental Parenting (Baumrind, 1991; Bowlby, 1969) emphasizes that an authoritative style with clear rules, open communication, and secure emotional bonds is the key to effective management. This research is qualitative in nature, using data collection techniques through in-depth interviews with three male teenagers, three parents, and one local resident, as well as participatory observation for two weeks at teenagers' hangout locations. Data analysis was carried out through stages of data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The research results show that smartphone use among teenagers in Kelurahan Sunggal is very intensive (5–9 hours/day), dominated by entertainment activities and social media. This use affects cognitive development by weakening self-regulation and planning, social development by reducing the quality of face-to-face interactions despite increasing digital connections, and emotional development by providing instant escape but creating anxiety when disconnected. The role of parents is highly determining: an authoritative style proves most effective in reducing intensity and negative impacts, while permissive or authoritarian styles result in weak supervision. This phenomenon is the result of complex ecological interactions between adolescents' developmental vulnerabilities, instant gratification from smartphones, a supportive urban environment, and suboptimal parenting. The research recommends holistic interventions based on family (authoritative digital parenting), school (smartphone policies and alternative extracurriculars), and community (healthy digital youth spaces) to direct smartphone use toward a more balanced approach and optimally support adolescent development.