Almost a year into the coronavirus crisis, parents across India – and the world – are watching their children glued to the digital world. This was also indicated by a survey conducted between December 2020 and February 2021 that covered 10,112 primary/secondary care providers and 2,916 frontline workers in 11 states across the country.
Niti Ayog’s investigation painted a grim picture of how the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the world of children confined to the four walls of their homes, leading them to adopt digital tools. The results were shocking, as the “Evidence-Based Response to Early Childhood Development During the COVID-19 Crisis” report shows.
He noted that a third of the children surveyed started watching videos/playing games on TV/phone/computer for the first time after the epidemic started in March 2020. The same applies to children under the age of two, when exposed to screen, especially the use of Negative technology harms children’s cognitive development and psychosocial health.
Digital life is dominated by urban families, with 41% of urban parents saying their children have started watching TV/phone/computer, compared to 26% of parents in rural areas. Conversely, 50% of parents in rural areas said their children continued to watch TV/phone/computer, compared to 38% of parents in urban areas.
In-depth interviews also revealed that parents use phones and videos as a distraction to control their children. 1 in 4 families said children spend less time with other children, including siblings, cousins or neighbors’ children of the same age. A greater proportion of urban households (29%) reported it than rural households (23%). In addition, parents report that children feel more isolated and anxious; Secondary research suggests that increased use of technology products and reduced interaction with peers may be to blame.
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