Online Gambling Alarm: Junior High Students Taught to Recognise Its Modes
The Communication and Informatics Office (Diskominfo) of Singkawang City has completed its ‘Digital Literacy Kominfo Enters the Classroom 2026’ programme at five junior high schools in an effort to strengthen students’ digital competence while preventing misuse of social media and online gambling practices among teenagers.
Head of the Singkawang Kominfo Office Chantal Novyanti said the programme was carried out in conjunction with the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS) so that students gain an understanding of healthy use of digital spaces from the outset of their school life.
“Digital Literacy Kominfo Enters the Classroom is an annual routine programme that we implement alongside MPLS so that digital education can be absorbed by students from an early stage,” Chantal said in Singkawang on Sunday (19/7/2026).
The programme reached five schools: SMP Negeri 5, SMP Negeri 8, SMP Negeri 9, SMP Barito, and SMP Santo Tarsisius.
According to Chantal, evaluation results show that students’ enthusiasm for the digital literacy programme is quite high. Nevertheless, her office still found challenges in the form of unwise use of the internet and social media, including students’ tendency to excessively access content of little value.
She assessed that digital technological development opens great opportunities for students to obtain information, but at the same time also increases the risk of exposure to negative content, including online gambling practices that increasingly target teenagers.
Therefore, Diskominfo equipped students with material on social media ethics, the importance of verifying information before sharing it, personal data protection, and the various tactics used to spread online gambling, which often appear through social media, online games, and internet advertisement links.
“We hope schools will pay increasing attention to students’ behaviour in using digital media. Kominfo’s role is to provide education and literacy, but guidance is a shared responsibility between schools, parents, and all elements of society,” said Chantal.