Melawan Candu Layar: Mengapa Kita Perlu “Dolan Bareng” Lebih dari Sebelumnya

Oleh: [Andyka /NR6 Gubeng KKN Untag Surabaya]

The late afternoon scenery in modern urban neighborhoods has drastically changed. The narrow alleys that once echoed with children’s laughter playing gobak sodor or hide-and-seek are now dead silent. Today’s children are no longer gathering in open spaces. Instead, they are isolated in the corners of their rooms, heads bowed down, faces illuminated by the cold blue light of their smartphone screens. This quiet digital shift is slowly eroding the most fundamental essence of childhood: real human interaction.

The data on the ground shows a worrying reality. In urban centers like Surabaya, it is common to see school-aged children spending anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day glued to their devices. While the Covid-19 pandemic initially forced us to migrate into digital spaces for survival, the lingering “inheritance” of gadget addiction has become a massive new challenge. This dependency does not just cause a sedentary lifestyle that threatens physical health; it actively weakens crucial motor skills and emotional intelligence.

In the midst of aggressive social media algorithms and online gaming loops, a community initiative called “Dolan Bareng” (Playing Together) emerged. Created by community service (KKN) students from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 (Untag) Surabaya in RW 03 Gubeng, this movement is far more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It is a necessary social intervention and a much-needed physical digital detox.

Traditional Indonesian games like bakiak (wooden clogs), engkle (hopscotch), or congklak carry deep psychological philosophies that cannot be replaced by Artificial Intelligence or high-end console graphics. When playing gobak sodor, a child learns group strategy and lightning-fast leadership. When playing bakiak, they learn synchronized stepping and empathy toward their peer’s movement rhythm. These games act as mini social laboratories where children learn to manage conflict, accept defeat, and celebrate victory face-to-face — not through emojis or comment sections.

Interestingly, fighting technology addiction does not mean we have to blindly hate technology. The “phygital” (physical + digital) approach used in this initiative — where QR codes linked to 60-second animated tutorial videos were placed at physical game stations — proves that technology can be tamed to support cultural preservation. Technology was adopted not as a distraction, but as an informational bridge.

However, grassroots movements like “Dolan Bareng” cannot stop when a student project ends. Bringing children back to public spaces is a collective responsibility. Parents must courageously enforce strict screen-time limits and actively play with their kids. City governments must also step up to ensure safe, child-friendly open green spaces exist in every neighborhood.

If we keep letting our children grow up in the isolation of virtual worlds, we are raising a future generation that is socially anxious and self-absorbed. It is time to turn off the screens, open our front doors, and guide our children back to the playground. After all, a beautiful childhood is not measured by the number of social media followers or gaming skins they own, but by how loudly they laugh with their friends while “Dolan Bareng.”