The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared onlineeducation ‘dangerous’ for the mental health and wellness of children andparents.
According to a recently published CDC study, children who received onlineeducation or a combination of online and in-person education were atincreased risk on 11 out of 17 indicators of child and parental well-being.——————————
The CDC study is based on survey responses that were elicited betweenOctober and November 2020 from 1,290 parents with children ages 5 to 12years old.
Around 25% of children who received online education or a combination ofonline and in-person education reported deteriorated mental and emotionalhealth in comparison to the 16% of children who received only in-personeducation.
Children who received online education or a combination of online andin-person education were also found to be less physically active as theyspent less time in outdoor activities with friends and family.
On the other hand, parents whose children received only online education ora combination of both online and in-person education reported deterioratedmental and emotional health.——————————
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Around 54% of parents whose children only online education or a combinationof both online and in-person education reported more emotional distress incomparison to the 38% of parents whose children received only in-personeducation.
Parents whose children received only online education or a combination ofboth online and in-person education reported 43% more loss of work,concerns over job stability, child care challenges, conflict betweenworking and providing child care, and difficulty sleeping.
Children who are receiving only online education or a combination of bothonline and in-person education and their parents may experience negativemental, emotional, or physical health outcomes and they may need moresupport to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CDC has recommended community-wide actions to reduce COVID-19 prevalenceand to introduce mitigation strategies to help students return to full timein-person education.