Morality Degradation of Younger Generation in Indonesia

By Azka Rayyan Kamil

Mahasiswa dari UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung

In this modern era, globalization make information around the world easy to search. The problem is if the consumer didn’t carefully absorb the information, it could lead to some dangerous action.  In this case, unsupervised children or teenager could search or read negative information and if they trust the information, it would affect their way of thinking.

So what is morality degradation? Moral decline or moral degradation is the decline in ethical and moral standards and values ??within an individual or society, resulting in behavior that deviates from prevailing norms, values ??and religious teachings.

Some cases that happened in Indonesia

A secondgrade elementary student girl stabbed in the eye by a senior that cause permanent blindness in Gresik. Four teenagers who raped and murdered a junior high school student in Palembang and the latest one was an Udayana university student bullied by his classmate until he committed suicide. These cases based from BBC News Indonesia shows how bad the moral of the younger generation has become.

The Factor:

1.      Easy access to the technology and internet

2.      Lack of parental supervision

3.      The education system

4.      The environment and people

5.      Globalization

6.      Lack of self-restrain

Effects of Moral Degradation

The consequences of moral decline are affect both the individual and society.

On the individual level, moral degradation often leads to psychological distress. Feelings of guilt, anxiety, or inner conflict arise when one’s actions contradict their moral beliefs. Over time, this can cause emotional instability. It also results in a distorted self-perception, where individuals lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and a tendency toward social withdrawal, as they feel disconnected from others.

On the society level, moral degradation can lead to increased crime and corruption. As people lose their ethical sense, dishonesty and exploitation become more widespread, weakening social trust. It also causes social fragmentation, as mutual respect and cooperation decline. That’s why these issues contribute to a lower quality of life, where communities struggle with injustice and insecurity.

How to prevent it?  

Based on the factors, here are some ways to prevent morality degradation:

1.      If they’re still children, you can hold giving them gadget until they pass their golden age or when they become a teenager. Letting them develop their cognitive function without any obstruction from the gadget. It will lead to improved thinking skills.

2.      You can use the parental controls on their phone to reduce their screen time and check their activities on the internet. Although, do it moderately, since you also need to respect their privacy.

3.      Teach the children about moral and character. The education system need to make sure that not only focus on academic, but also how to guide these children to become a better person.

4.       Build a positive environment to help the children develop their morality and empathy. The government can organize a social programs or campaign to help and guide the community to make a better environment.

5.      While we follow the current development brought by the globalization, we also need to keep our moral tradition and values. Of course, leave the bad ones on the past and keep the good one.

6.      Build self-discipline and control your emotion. Through moral education, spiritual growth and self-reflection you can be a better person.

In conclusion, moral degradation stems from ignorance and lack of guidance. Whether it’s the parents or their children, they must learn the importance of using technology responsibly and upholding moral values. We can build a generation that is not only intelligent but also morally strong.