Kids feel conscious, trapped as parents watch online classes: Study

At least 90 per cent of the children miss their friends

The reopening of schools in cities might be on hold for now, but children are definitely missing the institutions. A survey by K12 Techno Services Pvt. Ltd., of children from four cities to understand their emotional and mental health status amid the pandemic, has revealed that 78 per cent of them miss going to regular school, and more than 50 per cent feel that even if they do begin, it won't be the same.

The survey also revealed that even as 50 per cent of the children are enjoying waking up later than usual due to online schooling, 63 per cent enjoy spending time with their parents and grandparents at home. At least 42 per cent of them feel sad watching their parents argue. Over 30 per cent of the children feel conscious and trapped as parents watch their online classes.

Many of the students miss their teachers. Representation pics

'What do kids feel?'

Elaborating the idea behind the survey, Jai Decosta, Chief Executive Officer, K12 Techno Services Pvt. Ltd. said, ""There has been a lot of talk around COVID-19 and its impact on mental health among adults, but regarding children the conversation has been about physical health. This got us thinking about how the young minds of children are getting affected. They may not use as many words to express their frustration, but this doesn't mean they aren't undergoing the same level of stress as adults. As they are unable to express properly, children's mental health is often neglected. The idea behind the survey was to understand what the children are going through and how they are feeling through the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown."

K12 Techno Services Pvt. Ltd which runs Orchids - The International School, included children from other schools in the survey. For the students from Orchids, the questionnaire was distributed via the internal app for parents to respond. For the students of other schools, the questionnaire was shared via Facebook. It was an anonymous survey, with no information that would identify the participants, taken.

Jai Decosta, CEO, K12 Techno Services

Miss playing with friends

At least 40 per cent of the children are not even in touch with friends. At least 70 per cent of the children feel isolated. The children were also asked what they missed the most and 90 per cent children responded, friends. At least 80 per cent of the children missed playing with their friends. In another finding, 1 in 4 children between stds 5-10, doesn't talk about the pandemic with their friends, and 1 in 4 doesn't even worry about the pandemic any more. Interestingly, 60 per cent of the children said they missed meeting their teachers.

The survey was live for a week. The respondents included parents and children. For children between nursery and std 1, parents responded to the survey, while for stds 2 to 4, both parents and children participated. For students between stds 5 and 10, only the children participated. The survey was conducted in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with more than 800 respondents.

A class at Shindewadi Municipal School in Dadar east being sanitised by BMC in preparation for the opening on November 23, which was deferred later. Pic/Suresh Karkera

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