Distance Learning: Life Behind the Screens

With the abrupt change of systems that took place at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, Springfield School now requires pupils take part in live, virtual classes. With a minimum of four live lessons per day, regular school schedules have been chipped down by three lessons each day. However, some students have reported that the four live lessons a day are still ‘too much’.

Taking insight from an anonymous pupil, “last year, during school hours, I only used my laptop roughly about five hours a day; now, I use it for more than ten hours. I can't even focus during lessons because of the headaches.” This shows the spike in screen time amongst students, which may affect their physical wellbeing.

According to visionexpress.com, when the eyes are fixed on digital screens without ever refocusing on further objects, the muscles that change the shape of the lenses will lock and spasm, causing blurriness and migraines. According to a study conducted by the Statista Research Department in 2019, Indonesians from ages 16 to 64 spend an average of eight hours each day online. Yet, the current situation calls for a significant increase in the number of hours in gadget usage — which may be the cause of headaches amongst both pupils and teachers.

That’s the current issue at hand: the school community’s physical health; tested by the hours they spend in front of screens.

A possible solution to this issue would be making good use of the intermittent breaks throughout the day. As the regular school periods now offer live and independent lessons, students and teachers should utilize their additional time to rest their eyes either in between their video calls, or after school hours. As an example, during breaks, such as recess or lunch periods, they may take the time to stretch their aching muscles and give their eyes some rest from the screen. If there’s additional time, they could also refresh themselves by taking walks outside while still following safety protocols.

The ability to find a middle ground between schoolwork and health is key to overcoming the challenges of online education. Whether or not pupils make good use of the breaks to rest their eyes from the rays of their screens is an option they all have.