Child psychologists and psychiatrists are warning that with children having switched to learning, playing and socialising online, there’s real danger of digital addiction with serious consequences for their physical and emotional growth. PW suggests three activities — cycling, cooking and gardening — for parents to detox and wean children away from digital devices Nishiha, Belcia Prakash & Cynthia John More than two years since the first Coronavirus aka Covid-19 case was detected in Kerala in January 2020, the nation is still counting the cost of this highly contagious pandemic which according to the Union government has taken a toll of 4.7 lakh lives. The Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) differs. It estimates India’s Covid fatalities at ten multiples of the government number — 4.8 million. Yet fatalities apart, the pandemic has also devastated the economy. GDP plunged by an unprecedented 7.6 percent in 2020-21, unemployment is at an all-time of high of 7.83 percent. Perhaps worse, over 80 percent of India’s 260 million school-going children have suffered unquantified learning loss during the world’s longest (82-weeks) lockdown of all education institutions. And the remainder 20 percent of middle and elite class children who had access to digital online learning during the pandemic may well have become addicted to gadgets. They require urgent digital detox. Academic counsellors, child psychologists and psychiatrists are warning that with children having switched to learning, playing and socialising online, there’s real danger of digital addiction with serious consequences for their physical and emotional growth. A recent study by the well-known Delhi-based NGO CRY (Child Relief and You) says that children’s exposure to online screen time increased by 88 percent during the pandemic. Dr. Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, head of the cyber addiction clinic at the routinely top-ranked All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, says that over the past few months the clinic has been swamped with anguished pleas from parents to “treat children addicted to the Internet” — 80 percent to online gaming, 15 percent to excessive use of social media and 5 percent to online pornography. Likewise, the Bengaluru-based NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) has reported a three-fold increase in cases of children suffering digital addiction. “Tech dependence of children and adolescents reached alarming levels during the pandemic. Parents need to take the lead in weaning children away from digital gadgets by introducing a daily schedule that incorporates non-tech leisure activities such as music, sports, gardening, and other outdoor activities. The summer holiday offers a good opportunity to begin the process,” says A. Mugesh, Nagercoil-based psychological counselor and NLP practitioner, Let’s Talk (Sakthi Mind Care). Dr. J.S. Venkataramani, Chennai-based child psychologist and parenting advisor agrees. “With Covid-19 cases on the decline, and outdoor play and formal games such as hockey, cricket, tennis etc back on schedule, this is a good time for parents and children to engage in enjoyable family activities to bond and re-establish physical and emotional connection. Activities such as trekking, bird-watching and gardening are great for family…
