Reduce screen time, stay away from mobile games, principals advise boards aspirants
Times of India | 12 February 2025
12 Kolkata: Screen time remains a significant concern for numerous school principals during the examination season. Several school principals have instructed board examination students to minimise screen time, particularly abstaining from mobile gaming activities whilst preparing for their assessments.
This year, the boards season began with the Madhyamik examination on Monday, while the ISC is set to start on Thursday, and the ICSE will kick off next week. CBSE class X and XII board exams will start on Saturday. At this point in time, ‘screen time' is the major concern for school heads.
The Heritage School principal Seema Sapru said during the last-minute advisory to the board children, they specifically mentioned reducing screen time during this period. "We told our children not to start playing any games on their mobile phones because these are very addictive. Once they start playing, it's for 10 minutes, but after finishing one game, they get a new offer, and it keeps continuing for hours. There are some sites which actually control them, and these are like a black hole, absorbing them entirely so that they cannot do anything else. So, we keep telling them that before they sleep at night, do not play online games as they will not get good sleep," she added.
Asian International School principal Simran Sanghera said, "There should be zero screen time during this period because it hampers concentration. We told our students and also spoke to the parents to keep a close watch. We conducted practice tests for those children who were comparatively less prepared. They took a three-hour paper every day, and teachers made extra efforts to prepare them."
Some school principals emphasised a healthy balance of allowing screen time with proper monitoring by the parents. DPS Newtown principal Sonali Sen said, "We told our students to stay off the mobile phones, and many are following this instruction and gave their phones to their parents."
St Joan's School principal Debjani Ghosh said, " It's essential to strike a balance rather than take an overly restrictive approach. While some recreational screen time can help students relax, excessive time spent playing games or watching movies can distract and disrupt focus. Parents should encourage healthy habits by setting specific times for screen usage, ensuring it doesn't interfere with study schedules or proper rest." She said physical games and outdoor activitiescan reduce stress and improve concentration.