Youth Morality Degradation in Indonesia
Youth Morality Degradation in Indonesia
Ignoring moral values leads individuals to engage in disruptive behaviors such as violence and drug abuse. On a societal level, this can result in widespread moral decay, increased crime rates, and a general decline in community wellbeing, as educational institutions fail to produce not only efficient individuals but also responsible citizens .
Family, school, and society are expected to play crucial roles in developing ethical and moral values in youth. However, this role is compromised due to social and economic factors that leave many families disoriented, disorganized, and confused. Consequently, they fail to effectively impart the necessary moral education .
Some of the main symptoms of moral degradation in Indonesian youth identified by Licona include violence, theft, cheating, disregard for applicable rules, student brawls, intolerance, use of very rude language, sexual maturity and deviation, self-destructive attitudes, and drug abuse .
The role of education in addressing moral decay among youth includes instilling moral and ethical values. However, it faces challenges such as focusing predominantly on producing efficient individuals rather than good citizens, compounded by societal changes that dilute traditional educational roles in moral development .
There is a need for moral principles and values to be imparted to children in the modern era to combat the degeneration of ethical and moral values as people become increasingly self-centered. Instilling these values aims to create better and more responsible citizens and help achieve a crime-free society .
Materialism has raised the standard of living but simultaneously led to a decline in the standards of life and moral deterioration among Indonesian youth. This focus on material wealth detracts from the cultivation of moral values, exacerbating issues like violence and drug abuse among the youth .
Mobile phone and internet addiction contribute to moral degradation among youth by leading to a loss of moral and ethical values. This addiction distracts youth from ethical principles and reduces their engagement with educational agencies such as family and school, which are crucial for developing moral values .
Technology impacts youth morality by fostering addiction to mobile phones and the internet, which in turn leads to a loss of engagement with moral and ethical teachings. To mitigate this influence, youth should be encouraged to filter information obtained through the internet and maintain mental stability to prevent moral degradation .
Student brawls and related violence are significant issues in Jakarta. The data indicates that over 1,000 students were involved in brawls out of over 1 million students in the city, with 26 fatalities occurring as a result .
Muh. Naufal B. refers to living in a 'materialistic world' where the standard of living has increased but the standards of life have waned as a way to describe the perceived moral decline among today's youth .