Digital health and digital literacy should be an important part of school curriculum while emphasis should be laid on organising classes on digital hygiene at least once a month, experts at an educators’ conclave said here on Wednesday.

The confluence, titled “The New School of Thought: Rethinking Learning, Reimagining Leadership, Shaping a New Generation”, was organised by The Hindu In School in strategic partnership with Blue Scorp where the discussion flowed from the role of teachers and parents in shaping digital habits and reading patterns in the children, to the challenge faced by educators with emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence.

Taking questions from educators during an open session, Lakshmi Vijayakumar, Founder, SNEHA and Head, Department of Psychiatry, VHS, said children till the age of seven should be kept away from digital exposure and from 12 years onwards, there could be guided exposure with definitive controls. “Teachers and parents will have to be on the same page on this,” she emphasised.

“Technology itself is not bad, but what it replaces could be. If it replaces family time, interaction with friends, and playtime, then it would do more harm to the child,” she added.

Ramya Venkataraman, Founder and CEO, Centre for Teacher Accreditation, said with the advent of AI and with growing investments, it is a reality everyone will have to face at some time. It was important to draw boundaries and leverage the technology which will require understanding of the next level of detail. “You will have to be clear on where the leverage of technology is. A teacher who is able to do this will remain relevant,” she observed.

Sridhar Aranala, Chief Sales and Distribution Officer, The Hindu Group, said that the decline of reading habits among children and their shrinking attention spans provide a new challenge before the newspaper industry. “What is given to them (the students) to catch their attention is important. If you provide something compelling, it may well catch their attention,” he pointed out, stating that publications of The Hindu Group – In School and Young World – have been attempting to design their content keeping these aspects in mind. M. Thiyagarajan, General Manager – Sales and Distribution, The Hindu Group, proposed a vote of thanks.

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