Strengthening Middle School Students' Character Through the Digital Detox Camp Program and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Abstract

The increasing phenomenon of digital addiction among high school students has become a serious concern in the world of education. Dependence on devices negatively impacts character development, social skills, and emotional regulation. Therefore, this community service program was designed as a Digital Detox Camp, combining a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) approach. The main objective of this program is to strengthen students' character through self-awareness, emotional management, social skills, and responsible use of technology. The program was implemented through a participatory, experiential learning-based training approach involving 45 high school students in West Bandung Regency. Evaluation results showed significant improvements in self-awareness and emotional management, with an average score of 4.5 out of 5 based on a pre-posttest instrument. The program was based on cutting-edge theories such as the CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) approach and Lickona's character theory. In conclusion, the integration of Digital Detox and SEL has proven effective as a strategy for strengthening students' character in facing the challenges of the digital era. This activity contributes to the quality of character education in a practical and applicable way in high schools.