The outbreak of COVID-19 made the government decide that all teaching and learning activities should be carried out at home online . Even after the pandemic ended, this learning concept is still used in several educational institutions. Unfortunately, online schools also have the potential to cause negative impacts.
The COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago required children to study and do all schoolwork at home online . Although all the activities of the child at home can be monitored well by Mom and Dad, online school can also provide extraordinary challenges.
A Series of Impacts of Online Schools on Children
Online schooling at home can indeed protect children from the transmission of the Corona virus. This learning concept is also increasingly used along with the development of technology.
Indeed, by staying at home, Mom can supervise everything that the Little One does. However, learning activities carried out at home continuously actually also have the potential to cause negative impacts on children, including:
1. Not understanding the lesson well
Limited interaction when learning online can make it difficult for children to understand the explanations given by the teacher, especially if the child is embarrassed or hesitant to ask questions.
In addition, inadequate internet connections and gadgets can also cause children to have difficulty understanding lessons. This can certainly have an impact on their academic grades.
2. More lazy and dependent on parents
Spending more time with parents is important. However, it can also make children lazier , less independent, and dependent on their parents.
For some children, studying at home online is considered more difficult and less interesting than studying directly at school. This can make children reluctant to do the assignments given.
Sometimes parents want to help their children complete these tasks so that they can follow the lessons well and get maximum marks. However, if done too often, this help can actually make children rely too much on their parents and let go of their tasks.
3. Being exposed to gadgets more often
Online school requires children to use gadgets more often . In fact, the recommended screen time or gadget usage time for children aged 2–5 years is only 1 hour, while for elementary school children it is only 2 hours.
If strict restrictions are not implemented, children can become accustomed to using gadgets, even in between their study time. This can have a negative impact on children’s eye health and cause children to become addicted to gadgets .
4. Increased anxiety and stress
Children can be more prone to anxiety and stress during online school. This is because some teachers may feel that what is delivered through online classes is still not enough, so they tend to give more assignments that can burden children.
Being at home more often can also make children bored and feel responsible for household chores. Not to mention if parents ask for help from children in between breaks that children actually need. This can make children feel their freedom is being taken away and eventually become stressed.
5. Minimal socializing
During homeschooling, children cannot play freely at school with their friends. Children also cannot socialize with new people. If this happens for a long time, children can become quiet and insecure individuals later on.
6. High risk of becoming an outlet for parental stress
It must be admitted that guiding children to study requires a lot of energy and patience. In addition, some parents also have to work from home . Doing all of this at the same time can certainly make parents stressed.
With high levels of stress and perhaps a child constantly demanding help or company, it is not impossible that parents may at times lose their patience and scold, shout, or even commit physical violence against their child .
By knowing the impact of online school on children that has been explained above, mothers now understand better the psychological condition of their children and what risks can occur when facing online school.
However, whatever the learning concept, your little one needs to get adequate education. So, try to be patient and do your best when accompanying your child to study , okay, Mom.
If while studying at home your little one starts to show signs of stress and depression, for example, he or she becomes more angry, cries and withdraws, do not hesitate to consult a psychologist so that your little one’s condition does not get worse.