And this despite perhaps very numerous online contacts - as we know from the latest scientific studies
A boarding school - like Schloss Schule Kirchberg - can provide answers to many questions about positive development opportunities for children and young people from difficult backgrounds, especially when it comes to the increasingly important topic of "loneliness". Because: at the Schloss-Schule Kirchberg boarding school, we provide children and young people with valuable (real!) social contacts as well as a pleasant environment characterized by empathy and affection. And that is extremely important right now!
Escaping into the digital world makes children and young people lonely.
And the pandemic has exacerbated this trend.It's bad enough: according to a study, around 20% of all children and young people in Germany had daily screen times (smartphone, PC, TV, etc.) of 8 hours or more even before coronavirus. Even worse: during the peak of the pandemic, this figure has now climbed to around 50%.
This means that 50% of all children and young people currently spend more than 8 hours in front of screens!
According to another study, "gaming" (online game) times alone have increased by around 75% - social media times by around 66%! And the consequences of this are serious: according to a university study, long-term screen time of 6 or more hours per day already leads to serious social and health impairments for children!
Excessive internet/screen use makes children and young people uncommunicative and irritable and, above all, leads directly to social isolation. Escaping into the digital world makes you lonely - and children and young people from precarious backgrounds in particular:
In comparison: among children and young people from established backgrounds, this "only" (which is also too much!) applies to one in five children. And anyone who thinks that loneliness just means being alone a little too much and that children and young people can cope with it much better than, for example, the rapidly growing group of older lonely people, is mistaken:
Loneliness makes you mentally and physically ill
Under certain circumstances even very ill - especially children and adolescents!In view of the serious effects, a ministry against loneliness was set up in the UK a few years ago (Japan and the Netherlands have since followed suit)! This is because the demonstrably increased stress level of lonely people - regardless of age - can not only trigger depression and anxiety, it is also considered to be a co-trigger of (apparently) purely physical illnesses such as cancer or heart failure.
For health reasons alone, it is therefore important to show children and young people ways out of loneliness - the positive social consequences and the resulting improved developmental prognosis are on top of that!
If you would like to exchange ideas with us:
On our contact page you will find all the key contacts at our facility - and the faces to go with them!
We look forward to talking to you!
