kochi a kochibased ngo together we can twc working for parentempowerment and training to help children in need of special attention has urged the state government to set some basic minimum guidelines and safety protocols in place to safeguard the right of the child to both emotional and social health urging chief minister pinarayi vijayan not to hastily shift education online and instead look into the mental health effects of this step also advocating for more prerecorded video classes which will ensure that children can learn at their own pace twc said that schools teachers and parents are not well equipped to guide the children properly into elearning processesthere is ample research and literature in the scientific realm indicating how screen time influences a childs developing brain even before introducing this online education most schools teachers and parents were stressed dealing with the issues arising due to excessive and unhealthy use of screen among children every psychiatric and psychological clinic were filled with referrals of children with various neurological and mental health disabilities and disorders that were augmented thanks to this screen time despite all the evidence we have now made this sudden shift said seema lal special educator and executive trustee of twc ideally spare the preschoolers she saidthe rte right to education talks about education from 6 to 14 years only however online education even without it being defined has resumed for the preschoolers too screen time before 6 years of age when the neurological development of the child is most crucial can play havoc in their foundation yearsfor students of classes 912 prerecorded videos or powerpoints instead of live sessions should be encouraged reading is an important skill and not everything needs to be audio or visual there needs to be a balance of teaching time and encouraging students to question and ask doubts where the teacher only plays a facilitating role a lot of what happens in schools such as social and emotional connect physical activity and the muchneeded peer support is cut during these virtual classes it is difficult for children to cope with the same pressure of performing and completion of assignments all from home if not guided appropriately the objective is not to keep the children engaged or entertained attending live streaming sessions where it is a monologue by one instructor for more than even 10 minutes takes its toll on ones attention and concentration not just for students but adults too