Emotional Responses and Learning Behavior of Students Toward Roblox Access Restrictions: A Study of Students at SMP Negeri 1 Langsa

Abstract

Background: Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Administration in Child Protection (Tata Kelola Penyelenggaraan Sistem Elektronik Dalam Pelindungan Anak/PP TUNAS), effective March 27, 2025, and Ministerial Regulation Number 9 of 2026 imposed digital access restrictions for children under 16 on several platforms, including Roblox. Although the policy was designed to strengthen child protection in digital spaces, it also generated emotional responses among adolescents who had long used Roblox as a medium of social interaction, peer relationship, and identity expression. Aim: This study aims to describe the forms of students' emotional responses following the Roblox restriction policy, examine how these conditions manifested in their learning behavior at school, and critically assess whether the policy constitutes an appropriate and psychosocially informed intervention for adolescents. Method: This study employed a qualitative descriptive approach involving 28 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Langsa. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to all 28 students, in-depth interviews with six key informants, and non-participant observation conducted on two separate occasions. The data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña's interactive analysis model comprising data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing, while validity was ensured through source triangulation, technique triangulation, and member checking. Result and Discussions: Drawing on Erikson's psychosocial development theory and Hall's reception analysis framework, the findings revealed three decoding positions among students: oppositional, negotiated, and dominant-hegemonic. Students experienced disappointment, resistance, and a sense of losing social interaction space following the restriction policy. However, these emotional responses did not appear to substantially disrupt students' learning behavior, as most students were still able to maintain concentration and stable academic performance. The study also identified differences in adaptation patterns between male and female students in responding to digital restrictions. Conclusion: These findings suggest that digital restriction policies need to consider adolescents' psychosocial conditions during identity formation in digital environments.