Should Parents Be Worried About Online Education?

Source: India Today

The country’s education system has taken a digital shift due to the drastic ongoing pandemic. Schools have now been shut for more than 2 months and students are adapting to online learning.

This transformation has been tedious for parents, demanding them to master edtech platforms and tools required so that their child’s education does not take a back seat during this unfortunate time. Now that they’ve gotten into the groove, they’re faced with another dilemma - how much screen time is too much for their child?

The World Health Organization recommends not using any digital media for kids younger than 2 years other than video calls with family. Kids between 2 to 5 years can be allowed up to one hour of high programming daily but parents should be part of it. So not only does it act as a screen time but also as family bonding time.

Parents often find it difficult to enforce a limit to screen time because kids just don’t listen. A solution to this is to lead by example - create a well-defined boundary between your work and downtime. Whether you’re working from home or have just returned from office, resist the urge to watch TV or surf Instagram.

There are also some precautions parents should take when their children are online, especially young kids between 3 to 11 years. Always check the sites or apps your child is accessing. Is the content age-appropriate? Is it possible they could accidentally click over to something they shouldn’t see?

Now that children are remotely learning, instead of dividing screen time into learning and play, parents should strive towards making all screen time meaningful for their children by creating overlaps between their study time and playtime.