Do we educate them enough?

It’s past Children’s Day, and like every year 14th of November was a day filled with fun for school going children. This day is also observed to increase the awareness of rights, care, and education of children. But how much we understand them amidst the challenges and dangers they face in today’s world, especially due to the impact of Digital media. And do we educate them enough?

Velocity MR, a market research and analysis company announced the results of their pan India study to understand the impact of Digital Media and to gauge behavioral changes in Children. The study featured a sample size of 2,268 covering prominent Indian metros including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune.

The study was conducted across various demographics to understand Digital Media and its behavioral impact on children and some interesting insights emerged where 6 out of 10 parents do not talk about sex education with their children. 7 in every 10 kids across age groups, play online games with friends around the world. 9 in 10 parents of kids in the age group 6-10 years unanimously agree that the pop-ups expose their child/children to unwanted content. Approximately 1 in every two children spends 2-3 hours daily on the internet.

Jasal Shah, Managing Director & CEO of Velocity MR noted: “Even though social media may not be a safe place for kids, there is peer pressure for children to have an online identity.” He further adds, “It’s shocking to see that most parents do not talk about sex education with their children.. There are numerous misconceptions surrounding sex education in India.” The study goes on to prove that parents must play an active role in monitoring their children online activityand also make them aware of the dangers lurking on the digital space.