Students lose concentration while spending hours on gadgets, here’s how to tackle

Keeping in mind the existing scenario and mounting Covid cases all over the country, mostly half of the routine activities have shifted to gadgets whether it’s online classes, watching digital media, playing games etc and with prolonged access to gadgets students are facing several problems related to concentration.

In a talk session with developmental psychologist Akansha, Newstrack subeditor Gaurav Chhabra discussed in detail the problems caused due to the excessive use of gadgets and the solutions that can be useful for the students.

According to Akansha, in pandemic the use of technology has increased a lot as that is the only medium connecting us to the outside world. With limited resources it is also the easiest medium available to keep ourselves engaged.

Here are some of the key points from expert:

Using media in an interactive way is important aspect to be kept in mind. We can decrease the amount of time spent up to an extent but still 4-5 hours has become the new average; virtual classes taking maximum amount of time. Also, with a lot of free resources available our inclination towards digital media has increased two-fold. However, if we can focus on using the media in an interactive manner, rather than making it an isolated activity it might be helpful for young minds. For example after watching a movie, we can talk about the things they liked or something which stood out for them.

Sensory play can help stimulate student’s senses and channelize their energy. Few options could be doing messy play with sooji, aata, shaving foam etc. You can be creative and add colour, hide things, make shapes etc as per child's interest. Also, creating an obstacle course at home could be a fun escape. It is easily created and lot of variations can be made while using same objects.

One good option could be doing some DIYs in which gadget is just a medium but you are actually involved in creating something.

Another important thing to remember is that talk to your child about gadget use, its uses and how it could be harmful. Negotiate with them to decide a mutually agreed time for watching TV, playing games on IPad etc. This will help them to take ownership and be responsible. Also, be a detective and find your child interests to facilitate them to engage in other activities, some of which are mentioned above.

Keeping in mind that parents are at home and doing 'Work From Home', they even feel guilty about not giving much time to their kids but I want to say that it is an unusual time, so it is okay to take off sometime for yourself. Planning with kids together about utilizing their time and negotiating with them can be really helpful and rewarding.

It makes them feel responsible and an equal member in family whose contribution is valued. You are surely teaching them a life skill, which we often tend to ignore.