88% respondents want children’s digital use regulated: CBSE school council

As many as 88% of school leaders, educators, and parents who responded to a questionnaire from the National Council of CBSE Schools have expressed strong support for introducing national guidelines to regulate unsupervised digital and social media usage among children below 18 years.

The feedback report, based on 6.3 lakh responses received by the national council through its State councils across the country, has been submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a follow-up to a representation submitted last month seeking the Union government’s intervention in formulating a structured, age-oriented regulatory framework for school students.

According to the feedback collected by the national council, a registered body of managements and principals of affiliated CBSE schools, 74% of respondents reported that students spent more than two hours a day on screens beyond academic learning, while 21% indicated that many students spent more than four hours a day on mobile phones, gaming platforms, or social media.

As many as 69% of school leaders and teachers observed reduced classroom attention span and diminished academic engagement among students owing to prolonged screen exposure and 63% reported noticeable behavioural or emotional changes among students, including irritability, anxiety, mood fluctuations, and social withdrawal.

Reduced physical activity and social interaction was another casualty, with 66% observing a decline in participation in outdoor activities, sports, and direct interpersonal interaction among students.

The findings indicate that excessive screen exposure among children and adolescents has become a significant educational and public well-being concern, says the council’s letter to Mr. Modi.

It has also made recommendations intended to “support a balanced digital ecosystem for students by strengthening safeguards, promoting responsible technology usage, and advancing the broader educational objectives envisioned under the National Education Policy 2020.”

New framework

A significant suggestion is evolving a National Child Digital Safety Framework through coordinated policy efforts involving education authorities, technology providers, and child welfare institutions to safeguard minors in digital environments.

The recommendations include regulated educational use of digital technology in schools. The council wants institutions to retain use of digital teaching–learning methods within the school premises, with other learning activities focussing on strengthening listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Another recommendation is introduction of digital safety and monitoring mechanisms. It calls for exploring appropriate cyber-monitoring frameworks, age-verification systems, and parental oversight mechanisms through the authorities concerned to promote responsible digital engagement by minors.

The council has mooted that steps to regulate or restrict access to certain online platforms for those below 18 and collaboration with technology platforms to introduce stronger age-verification mechanisms and appropriate safeguards to regulate access to social media platforms by them be examined. The council has underscored that any measure that is introduced should be gradual and balanced to avoid unintended behavioural reactions among adolescents from sudden restrictions.

Council secretary general Indira Rajan said that they had sent representation to President Droupadi Murmu, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too in order to highlight the academic, behavioural, and psychological implications of prolonged and largely unregulated engagement with digital devices and online platforms among children and adolescents.