We used to tell kids not to watch television for long hours, it’s not good for the eyes. But in today’s time, children’s and teens’ on screen time has been spiked due to online learning.
“The classes are very packed and everything goes online. Teaching, discussion, tutorials and it made me felt very burdened. My eyes are very uncomfortable for the long hours of laptop screen” Said Wong, a Form 4 student who has been on e-learning since the first Movement Control Order implemented last year March.
Technology has been advancing since the birth of the Internet. During the pandemic, school relied badly on the Internet to convey education and knowledge to the students. People are proud of the improvement of technology and it is not the first time I’ve heard people saying “A good thing during the pandemic is that we see the opportunities and the growth of technology and the virtual world”
It made me wonder, just few years ago, parents used to scold their kids for watching computers, phones, television and digital gadgets. And this same batch of parents, are the one relying heavily on the Internet for online shopping, online streaming, and felt proud and excited for the Internet world.
It is undeniable that the Internet has helped us a lot. And it is also undeniable that long screen time and sedentary lives are making the world less active physically and socially but yet stressed out mentally.
Sometimes, the mental health of students tend to be neglected as people think being a student is easy, all you need to do is just attend the class and study whatever given. However, as the suicidal rate of teens and young children rises especially during this pandemic, it’s time for us to reflect whether learning has been ineffective and the goal has not reached.
Now, some schools has reopened, let’s help to build education that focuses on development of children’s potential rather than spoon-feeding all the facts. And sometimes, it is great to return to traditional and have a break from the Internet.
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