Online classes pose a threat to children's mental health, research states

Research by a US agency has revealed that taking online classes during the global epidemic has left negative effects on the mental health of parents and children.

Parents whose children received virtual instruction or a combination of virtual and in-person instruction were more likely to report increased risk on 11 of 17 indicators of child and parental well-being, according to the new study.

The researchers looked at survey responses from October and November 2020 from 1,290 parents with children ages 5 to 12 years old.

Nearly 25% of parents whose children received virtual instruction or combined instruction reported worsened mental or emotional health in their children, compared to 16% of parents whose children received in-person instruction.

Symptoms of irritability, stubbornness and anger also increased in children while their immunity and endurance decreased. Such children often slept or used the Internet, which caused their muscle spasms and body aches.

Similarly, the children staying at home all the time increased the workload and the housekeeping of the parents was also untutored due to which the women were suffering from physical distress and mental stress.

In contrast, the children who went to school were healthier and their parents were happier. However, SOPs were fully followed while going to school.

The study was conducted through a survey of 1,290 parents and their children aged 5 to 12 between October and November 2020.