The Impact of Remote Learning on Students’ Mental Well-Being and Self-Efficacy #TeenTuesday

Contributing article by Teens Against Mandates

The shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to the mental and social-emotional development of high school students.

In my qualitative study aided by an online survey, the majority of participants—all of whom are high school students—have reported increased levels of anxiety, thus resulting in inferior academic performance, poor work ethic, disordered behaviors, emotional volatility, and social disinterest. The effects of this psychological transition from face-to-face, cooperative learning to remote learning may have posed further mental health concerns in terms of building a healthy sense of self-efficacy. This problematic shift for the sake of “public safety” has come at a price, and high school students are experiencing its consequences, the likes of which may have major implications for the future of education, American leadership, and individual character development. 

As such, students have confessed to compromising their academic integrity in order to satisfy deadlines and standards. 

“I have probably cheated on every test and it is going to be very difficult to study.”

“[I have] lost motivation to work hard in all aspects in life.”

The negative impact of remote learning may be unaccounted for by elected officials and, therefore, by the national education system. The source of high school students’ emotional distress is both generic and personal, academic and social-emotional. The generic causes—a wide range of ongoing stressors associated with academic demands and uncertainty of the future—have been the most prevalent.

Moreover, test participants have provided me with a lengthy list of mental health concerns due to social inactivity, because of which many students have been experiencing stunts in social-emotional development.

“I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anorexia.”

“During the beginning of lockdown, it was hard to maintain a normal sleeping schedule. It was also extremely difficult to maintain a normal consistent diet. My mental health has always been rocky, but during the lockdowns, I finally met a breaking point [at which point I] was forced to enter emergency mental health services.” 

“I never exercise, I’ve lost friends…my life is falling apart, I got diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD.”

Students are also using screen time excessively. Respondents have directly admitted to feeling more “detached” from their personal lives, substituting family time for time spent “wastefully” on social media. Excessive screen-time positively correlates with decreases in academic achievement which, in turn, has deranged many students’ sleep schedules and exercise habits. 

“Less sleep because of increased screen time. More depressed because of less real interaction with people. More irritable and frustrated.”

“Computers and screens make me feel drained, by the end of my classes I don’t want to do anything on technology, and I don’t get things done.”

“Because of the pandemic, I deleted most of my social media apps because I was spending too much time on them at home.”

“Can’t focus in class. Don’t complete homework at all. Increased anxiety and depression. No motivation for exercise, complete school work, or go to social events.”

If our teens continue to use social media so excessively, the issues it can cause (body-image issues, irregular sleep schedules, and social isolation) may manifest later on in students’ professional lives in more tangible forms. 

Combined with these apparent effects of excessive social media usage is the circulation of misinformation across several platforms. This leaves adolescents exposed to the associated vulnerabilities of false information, meanwhile pressuring the minority to follow the majority. Uninformed decision-making in regards to health and safety precautions, especially the COVID-19 vaccine, are fueled by these false narratives and information. 

The increased incidences of mental health problems, including stress-related disorders, may have a causal relationship with the previous arrangement of remote learning. High school students may still be experiencing its negative effects, as they continue to lack in displaying qualities of self-efficacy, initiative, and leadership.