Sarabha Nagar resident Rahul Jain, father of Class X student Ankit Jain, said he is worried about his son as he spends about 2-3 hours every day on social networking even with his exams around the corner. "I decided to act tough during the crucial days before exams and took his phone from him, but he still surfs these sites from his friend's mobile," added the father.
Mother of Class XII student and BRS Nagar resident Harsimran Singh, Manpreet Kaur is worried for her son's fate in the examination as he too, like Ankit, remains glued to social networking sites.
"Initially, I thought he was looking for helpful information and notes online, but soon I realized he had been posting updates on Facebook and Twitter. He would then keep looking for comments and likes and browsing through social networking sites. I wouldn't have had a problem if he did not have exams on his head," said Manpreet.
Head of the psychiatry department at DMCH Dr Ranjive Mahajan said he has received at least 10 cases in the last month wherein parents complain that children do not part from social networking even before the exams.
"Some of them find social networking a stress buster during exams, but most do not have control and are distracted by regular updates and notifications of their activity on social networking sites. Not keeping a control on the time spent online can take a toll on students' academic performance," said Mahajan.
Academician Tarannum Fatma, who counsels parents and children, acknowledged the fact that social networking sites do distract some students. "I advise the parents to limit their ward's usage of mobile phones and computers and monitor the time they spend on social networking sites. The computer should be placed in an area that is visible from most corners of the house," she added.
(Names of parents and children have been changed on request)
