For the last year remote learning has become a daily reality for children all over the world, albeit in many parts of the world this has involved learning using the television or radio. For the lucky ones to have a dedicated device there are some issues that have affected this easier format of schooling, which curiously has not been covered by much research until now. Reported by Edtechnology, the not-for-profit Internet Matters, research found that 52% of parents “were worried about the long-term effect online learning could have on their children’s confidence and self-esteem” with 41% responding that “their children had become more self-conscious about their identity and how they appeared on camera”; and 37% responded that “they were unusually anxious when asked to attend lessons with their camera on”. Similarly 52% reported that “they were concerned about the amount of time lockdown was forcing their child to spend on digital devices”. This latter point is an inevitable consequence of the pandemic with obvious concerns around the effects of the technology on children, leading to possible addiction, impaired sleep patterns and damage from the blue light on the retina. The good news is that this period of dependency is coming to an end.
