By K.G. Mathew, Principal, Excel Public School, Mysuru
We are witnessing a growing number of troubling reports involving children and adolescents across the country, incidents of aggression, addictive behaviours, emotional distress and even self-harm.
As parents, educators and members of society, it is natural to ask why these behaviours are rising and where we must look for answers.
The challenges we notice in them, impulsivity, emotional volatility, declining attention and poor coping skills are outcomes of the shifts in their developmental landscape. Understanding this altered childhood is the first step towards helping them thrive.
The changed childhood
Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, warns that a shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood has placed children on the verge of a mental-health crisis.
With screens consuming much of their time, many youngsters lack outdoor activity, healthy social interaction and adequate sleep, all essentials for physical, emotional and social well-being.
Family dynamics have changed too; with parents stretched by work pressures, many children grow up either overprotected or overindulged, weakening resilience and frustration tolerance.
Heavy academic expectations, social comparisons and uncertainty about the future further burden them. Easy access to substances and unsafe environments compounds their vulnerability.
Together, these forces create a generation that feels deeply, reacts quickly and struggles to regulate a world that often feels overwhelming.
Can schools handle it alone
When incidents involving children surface, public attention often turns immediately toward the school. While schools bear a significant responsibility for student safety and well-being, the challenges affecting children have roots far beyond school boundaries.
Many behavioural difficulties that emerge during school hours originate in environments outside the reach of teachers, online spaces, peer groups, neighbourhood influences and home settings. A school cannot undo in six hours what is happening to a child in the remaining eighteen.
Teachers themselves are navigating a changed student psyche that demands greater emotional sensitivity, patience and understanding.
No school, however committed, can single-handedly counteract influences arising from society, media, technology and home environments.
Parents: The first and most enduring influence
Parents remain the strongest emotional anchors in a child’s life, and parenting today must be intentional, present and emotionally attuned. Children thrive in homes where they feel seen, heard, valued and understood.
Our children need firm, loving boundaries around digital use, sleep and daily routines. While homes may not be entirely screen-free, they can and must be screen-wise.
Parents must model the behaviours they expect from their children, emotional regulation, respectful communication and responsible technology use.
This strengthens coping skills and prepares them for the complexities of adult life. In a landscape where risks and influences are multiplying, parental engagement is not optional, it is foundational.
Schools: Safe, structured and supportive spaces
Schools are the second major ecosystem in a child’s life and must ensure environments that are emotionally safe, inclusive and respectful. Teachers need ongoing training to understand child development, identify early signs of distress and respond with empathy and professional skill.
“Socio-emotional” learning must become a natural part of school life, helping children express emotions, resolve conflicts, manage impulses and build healthy relationships. Support structures such as counselling, mentoring and peer-support systems can prevent minor struggles from becoming major crises.
Equally important is meaningful communication between home and school. When parents and teachers collaborate with openness and trust, children receive consistent guidance.
Society: The wider circle of protection
The broader society, neighbourhoods, media, cultural institutions and governance systems, profoundly influences how children perceive the world.
Government and public institutions have a vital role: ensuring vigilant enforcement against underage access to harmful substances, regulating unsafe digital spaces, monitoring high-risk areas and strengthening community mental-health resources.
A society that values its young people must invest in awareness, youth-friendly services and safe public spaces.
The way forward
‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ — African Proverb. No single system can raise a child alone, not the school, not the family, not even the Government. But when these three pillars work together with clarity and shared purpose, they create an environment in which children feel emotionally secure, physically safe, intellectually stimulated and mentally resilient. Thus, we build more resilient generation. That is the need of the hour.
This post was published on December 2, 2025 6:05 pm