In our ever-changing world, the use of technology influences every aspect of our lives, from our ability to communicate with loved ones to accessing information at our fingertips. Unfortunately, at times there are negative effects of technology on our mental health, more importantly on youngsters. They are the impressionable minds which have the most access to technology and yet are the most vulnerable section who need attention regarding ill effect. A recent research finds that 1 in every 5 children between the ages 13-18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness before they reach adulthood. Within this group of children 8% are anxiety disorders.

Digital anxiety is a real thing. The phenomenon where youngsters feel left out or fear on missing out activities their friends are part of, the overwhelming amount of information they are exposed to everyday or cyber bullying and social shaming are all a part of digital anxiety. Some reports suggest that internet addiction and incessant use of social media is becoming a widespread issue which has been linked to depression, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Moreover COVID-19 has resulted in schools being shut globally. As a result it has brought the distinctive rise of e-learning, where teaching is undertaken remotely on digital platforms. This has further enhanced the exposure to digital screens.

It is paramount for us to mitigate potential risk factors for our children, one of which is limiting their access to technology. These steps include adding controls to reduce exposure of your children to mobile device or while watching television. 

However, as parents and teachers, one way of improving our children’s mental health is more physical activities. Whether that means enrolling them in a summer camp, putting them in art classes, or organizing parent-child bonding activities. Another important aspect in understanding children’s mental health is communication between teachers. They must share, communicate, understand and act on the information they have regarding their students, on how they can reduce digital anxiety among them. All of us have an integral role in today's world where we must come forward in helping youngsters cope with this new age stress which might affect them negatively in the long run.

Internet and social media are here to stay. Its better that we accept that digital anxiety is another social evil which has become a part of our society but at the same time we should actively work towards combating the issue and make the world safer for our children. Because together we can!