CDC Study Finds Virtual Learning Taking Toll On Children, Parents

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC says virtual schooling and online learning is promoting isolation in children and stress in parents.

The researchers found that online instruction may pose greater risks in the long run than in-person instruction as regards the mental and emotional health of child and parent.

According to the study, the findings confirm previous research into the harmful, emotional and physical effects of keeping children out of school, adding that school systems and local governments will have to provide needed support to address the growing challenge.

The study involved a survey of parents whose children either attended in-person instruction, took all their classes via computer or took part in a hybrid model that combines both remote and in-person instruction.

It found that for both virtual and hybrid models, children were more isolated, spending less time with other children and outside. They also simply moved less.

The survey also showed that students of color were more likely to be engaged in remote learning at about twice the rate of white students, meaning they were more likely to suffer from the psychological effects of learning from home than were their white counterparts.

Some public health experts and medical practitioners have also said that the cognitive effects of keeping schools closed far outweigh the danger of covid-19 transmission inside schools.

The CDC previously found that transmissions inside schools does not occur as long as face masks are worn and other common-sense measures taken.