Unregulated exposure to the Internet and social media is prompting children to adopt aggressive behaviour, improper accents, a projection of masculinity, and a tendency to put down others, school authorities and teachers feel. This is very worrying, they said.
Several schools have asked teachers to stay abreast of the content children and young people watch or listen to — to understand them better and be a little ahead of them.
Often, children or adolescents do not open up, thinking they would be misunderstood, but it is for adults to try and enter their world and become accessible, said a teacher.
“We as educators need to understand the language of this generation. Students tend to pick up mannerisms or offensive vocabulary from the Internet, which they use in their day-to-day communications. They tend to emulate certain people and imbibe the negative behaviour with a false sense of accomplishment or a feeling of being cool,” said Pratima Nayar, principal, junior school, Calcutta International School.
“Roasting” in Gen Alpha parlance is common, where they make fun of another person without understanding the negative impact of their actions.
The teachers at Calcutta International School have been told to stay updated about online content and sometimes speak to students to know the content that
appeals to them.
“One has to build the channels of communication where a child will talk about his or her interests. A teacher cannot stay isolated or indifferent any longer,” said Nayar.
To understand children better, the school sends out questionnaires in classrooms that children have to fill up anonymously.
The students are asked which “popular YouTuber” they are watching and why, and what it is about “X” that they feel attracted to.
At Mahadevi Birla World Academy, teachers are told to listen to the music that students listen to and, if need be, ask them directly what it means.
“Many in this generation listen to K-pop, something that many teachers do not understand. One has to step into their shoes and ask them why they listen to such music and why they like it,” said Nupur Ghosh, vice principal, Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
Some will share and some will not, but it will give teachers an insight, said Ghosh.
“To be one up on them, we have to know their choice of content and music,
else we would not be able to understand them,” said Ghosh.
Gargi Banerjee, principal, Sri Sri Academy, said that often teachers with children or adolescents at home are more updated than others.
“They share their knowledge with other teachers. But teachers have to take an interest. If a teacher sees a student behaving in a certain way, which could be an online character, they would be able to relate to it immediately. Knowing something would help them address situations or problems,” said Banerjee.
The information helps schools to curate counselling sessions for students, sometimes in a group, in a classroom or individually.
“The whole approach of disciplining students has changed. We cannot be punitive but collaborate with children to enter their world and then discipline them,” said Nayar.