Children in the Pandemic

Pandemic has been tough for everyone. We adults have had a tough time dealing with the uncertainty and chaos, imagine the impact on children?

Even prior to the pandemic, children have been getting so immersed in social media and the virtual world. It was already impacting their mental, emotional and cognitive health. The pandemic has just aggravated that. 

Too much technology and gadgets are not helpful for children, famously Steve Jobs didn’t let his children use the iPad and limited their screen time. Bill Gates didn’t let his children have a phone until 14 years of age and the Snapchat founder only allowed his child 90 mins a week of screen time. 

They haven’t been able to attend schools, zoom has been a savior but it has its consequences as well. It cannot replace the in person experience. And there are reports that point to a drop in IQ and other measures of intelligence and school engagement. 

There are a lot of online courses that children take from BYJUs, White Hat Jr and a lot of similar offerings. However, there isn’t a lot that helps children with their personal growth – mindfulness, character development, emotional intelligence? These aspects are so critical and I think not much importance or time is invested in this area.

A better world, a better nation, a better family becomes more real when the children today get a better chance to learn and develop themselves for a better future. Let’s empower them. 

The Ashram has been doing the Zenrich program for a few years and I cannot think of a better program to invest in a child’s present and future. You can see the details on the Ashram website below.

https://omswami.org/event/the-rising-stars/