Online schooling, the term fascinated teens in the beginning days when pandemic hit the country. They found it very interesting as after a long time or I can say first time in their history they were not supposed to rush at 8 o' clock to the school. They did not have to wake up at 6 am in the morning as they could miss their school bus. It was fun for them attending classes without getting ready or rushing to school. They were just supposed to wake and sit in front of the Screen.
But no one ever imagined that this pandemic would last so long. It has come with no finishing point. Online schooling, screen timing has become now monotonous for children. Too much of screen timing has become overwhelming for them. After 4-5 months of this pattern, they started finding it boring. And the situation has become so worse that they login to the class, keep the camera off and mute the mike, then do some other activities behind the screen.
Zero social contact and a longer duration of screen time have started impacting their mental health. As cool as it sounded in the beginning, it is all the more heart wrenching later. Initially students had a zeal to attend it from their comfortable zone, now they have lost it all. The halt to in person learning is impacting them and leading to anxiety and depression. They have developed erratic sleep habits and driving their parents crazy.
One student was asked who acquires most important place in your life, she said now in this situation, the most important for me are friends. I am eagerly waiting to see them again. These teens feel like they have lost their space. They are now surrounded either by the screen or with parents. Those chitchats and those fun time which they needed is completely missing out from their life.
Online setup of school and coaching classes is driving them crazy. The condition is like they do not at all want to join these classes, Many of them are loosing it all. They say, now I really don't find any interest in schooling, coz due to this pandemic school is all about curriculum, course completion, notes and exams. 7 out of 10 students are undergoing depression or they have lost the sense to face it off.
This age is very critical for children as they turn to their puberty. They experience very much change in their behaviour pattern and emotions. This is the age when they start experiencing various new feelings. But all of these changes are happening behind the camera and audio off for them.
Till the time schools are going to go to online, there is the need to arrange few chit chat classes for them. They need to join that meeting and talk their heart out. No participant will have the camera off or mute audio. There has to be no adult in that get together. Its like arranging a kitty kind of platform for these teens.
Hope this pandemic gets over as soon as possible and the school classrooms again gets filled with all those laughter, fun, joy, scolding, shouting, teaching and many more.
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