After two years of distance learning... What are its effects on the mental health of our children?

There is no doubt that students receiving their lessons online or what is known as “distance learning” affects their behavior and communication skills. So how about two years after learning from a distance?

The repercussions that specialists have warned of on the mental health of children as a result of home learning, and on the ability of parents who manage it in a balanced manner, not to mention the extent of the response of young people, especially in the elementary grades. How can this problem be solved?

 

First, children's mental health

 

Psychologist Yara Basibes identified a number of psychological effects on children as a result of not attending  school , the most prominent of which are:

 

_ Hours of prolonged screen use, at  least 7 hours per day. This contradicts the recommendations of those concerned not to expose children to screens before 3 years, while they are allowed only twenty minutes between 3 and 6 years. From the sixth to the eighth year, the time period is thirty minutes. For teens, the recommended time is a maximum of two hours.

 

Decrease in social interaction and lack  of stimulation  intellectual . These results were noted by the psychotherapist in her clinic. The reasons for returning to the use of electronic screens for long periods, affecting the  growth  of their brain,  and their wits  emotional,  and social relationships , and their absorption  of concepts,  their focus,  their attention, and their mood  and eat them.         

And based on a study that included children in France, entitled "CONFEADO 2021", on the experience of home quarantine associated with the Corona epidemic  , it showed that the effect of this stone on the psychological health of children varies according to their age and gender. It showed that adolescents and girls between the ages of 13 and 18 years are more affected on a psychological level compared to boys between the ages of 9 and 12 years.

 

 

Second - Guidelines for parents and teachers to deal with these problems

 

Bsaibes emphasized that the current problem is not easy amid the crises that Lebanon is going through, as remote study requires certain rules at home that children must abide by. These rules are based on more questions, cooperation and independence. Also, it is based on avoiding repetition, pressure, penalties and orders. Among the most prominent ideas presented by psychotherapy:

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