COP, which is primarily conducting digital-parenting awareness programmes for parents through webinars, has so far covered 10 schools. It has also signed MoUs with two schools that have agreed to implement the COP-for-schools model from the next academic year, bringing digital safety into the school ecosystem.
The need for such intervention comes amid growing
14-16 reported knowing how to use a smartphone, with 76% saying they had used one for social media and 57% for educational activities.
Research has also highlighted the implications of device use at bedtime. A systematic review and meta-analysis involving 1,25,198 children found that those using portable screen-based devices at bedtime had 2.17 times higher odds of inadequate sleep, 1.46 times higher odds of poor sleep quality and 2.72 times higher odds of excessive daytime sleepiness.
However, experts say just a ban would not work. Dr Manoj Sharma, consultant psychiatrist at SHUT Clinic, NIMHANS, said banning and awareness need to go together.
Most parents are not careless. They are actually very worried. But worry alone doesn’t tell you where to draw the line. If you are too strict, the child feels controlled. If you are too relaxed, the habits can get out of hand
Sandeep Kumar, Child Online Protection
“Banning has its advantages and disadvantages. But whenever there is a ban, children should also be given knowledge about why it is being done at the adolescent level and what other activities they can engage in. Otherwise, children may feel they are losing out on productivity and education,” he said. He said school-based strategies and skill-based development could help bring better results, while restrictions on phone use during school hours could also support the broader objective. Even parents are sometimes at sea when it comes to where to draw the line. “One thing we hear from parents again and again is, ‘I know my child is spending too much time on the phone, but I don’t know what to do about it.’ I think that is where the real problem is,” said Sandeep Kumar, Founder, COP – Child Online Protection app. “Most parents are not careless. They are actually very worried. But worry alone doesn’t tell you where to draw the line. If you are too strict, the child feels controlled. If you are too relaxed, the habits can get out of hand.”
Setting boundaries
The programme aims to establish age-appropriate digital boundaries in collaboration with schools and parents. Schools will have a dashboard to determine digital routines and limitations, alongside COP’s parental-control app and child applications. The organisation also plans awareness sessions for parents and children, with the focus on understanding why digital boundaries are necessary.
“The primary goal of the COP school program is to work with schools and parents to establish safer digital boundaries for kids according to their requirements and age. We understand that this is no longer solely a parental issue. It’s a bigger problem, and we all have a part to play in making the internet safe for kids,” Kumar said.
On Karnataka’s under-16 social media restriction, Kumar said, “We agree with the government’s decision to put restrictions in place for children under 16. It is an important step towards protecting children from early and potentially harmful digital exposure. But from what we have seen at COP, setting restrictions alone cannot solve the issue.” “Schools can act as a bridge between parents and children and play an important role in bringing about this change. They can help create awareness among children while also bringing parents into the conversation, so that digital safety becomes something we work on together rather than just another restriction children have to follow,” Kumar said.
