Capturing the Benefits of Online Schooling to Improve Student Mental Health

Issues like anxiety, stress, and other mental health problems in students are at an all-time high!

Statistics reveal that 42% of high school students in the U.S.A. felt sad and hopeless persistently. 29% of them experienced poor mental health, and 22% seriously considered attempting suicide. 

All this proves that our students certainly have too much on their plates.

And with all the complexities of the modern world, naturally, our students are highly vulnerable to several mental challenges. And to top it all the initial schooling years are all the more crucial (stressful) for student mental health.

As the world embraces the new schooling choice with the virtual medium, it’s now the time to find solutions to the mental health epidemic.

Be with us as we explore how an online school can help release the pressure of a student’s mind, and beat challenges like depression, anxiety, and disorders.

Stats and Figures

Let’s commence this journey with some eye-opening statistics:

• Around 20% of the students reported instances of bullying (between ages 12-18).
• Almost 50% of students who bullied others had social influence, and 40% of these were also physically stronger than the victim (other reasons are mentioned below).

And unfortunately, this is not all!

Conventional Schooling is not the Best Choice for Everyone!

As stakeholders, we always hope and believe that our systems work for the greater good of our student community. But again, the increasing number of mental health issues in students presents a different picture. Policies, practices, hierarchies, grievance channels, and counselors are present in all top traditional schools.

But sometimes even all this is not enough!

Reasons Why Traditional Schooling Can Be Taxing!

For many students, traditional schooling is exhausting and nearly impractical.
Typically, the designs of many conventional schools might look fascinating. But in reality, many schools are hardly close to the defined benchmark. The shortcomings of traditional schools aggravate student mental health issues.

Here’s a closer look at some of these stark realities that aggravate issues like anxiety in students.

According to the Pew Research Center,

• 82% of the public K12 teachers believed that public K12 education got worse in the last 5 years (2019-24).
• 69% of the adults surveyed reported that schools do not spend enough time on core academic subjects.
• 52% of them expressed discontent towards inadequate funds and resources in schools.
• 51% of the adults felt that the traditional K12 school system was heading in the wrong direction.

With all these issues and the safety threats hovering around, it is wise for many students (prone to mental health issues) to push back from the traditional educational environment to a better choice!    

Online Schooling: Fewer Demands with More Safety.

Virtual learning is a great solution for many mental health problems in students. The comfort of one’s home adds value to learning. It also removes the fear of struggling in a negativity-prone academic environment. In an online school, students can work at their own pace without being a part of any academic rat race. Lastly, this choice also curtails threats like bullying, physical violence, abuse, and peer pressure, bringing these down to almost zero.

Feasibility to Focus on Specific Areas

With individual struggles, differences, and preferences all students have different topics to focus on. Virtual schooling helps in fighting anxiety in students, as it allows them more or less time on a topic to promote deeper understanding. This mode is trusted for meaningful learning. Because students can truly focus on their weak topics and build a sound understanding of these topics that they find tough.

Managing Social Anxiety Better

Social anxiety disorder leads to shyness and introversion in one’s personality. This disorder is also a symptom of dysfunctional anxiety in an individual that leads to fear and avoidance of specific social situations.

Before we discuss, is online school good for people with social anxiety? Let’s take a look at the impact of this issue.

In the past few decades, almost 9.10% of the U.S.A. adolescent population (between 13 to 18 years) experienced social anxiety. Out of these 11.2% are females, and 7% are males.

In extreme cases, social anxiety in students can be a cause of dropping out of school or temporary absenteeism. Hence, such students always need a safer space to express their thoughts and continue learning at a normal pace. An online school offers a highly controlled and positive learning environment that boosts student outcomes. It supports all types of students across age groups. And allows them a safe learning space with fewer or minimum unwanted interactions. 

Mental health problems in students often hamper their ability to learn. But with online schools like International Schooling, students can choose a one-to-one learning plan, and do away with any negativity or peer pressure of any sort.

Relevant Support at the Right Time

For different students, support requirements differ. And tailoring the support system to student mental health is a need of the hour. Some students prefer being on their own and like written communication channels. And some others prefer limited socialization without the fear of being labeled or judged. In any case (with or without mental health problems in students), virtual schools serve the accurate purpose. This medium is designed to provide the necessary handholding without overdoing or underdoing it.

International Schooling goes the mile ahead to tackle student mental health issues with utmost care. Our team of counselors, on-request support, academicians, and educators are always on their toes to support the student community. Know about the communication channels at IS here!

Final Thoughts

A traditional school often struggles to handle challenges like anxiety in students. However, the positive impact of online schools is instrumental in managing mental health problems in students.

Learn how International Schooling can help you manage student mental health through tailored virtual programs. Connect with us for details of our One-to-one and group learning plans.

Thanks for Reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is online school good for kids with anxiety?

Ans: Yes! Online schools help in managing mental health problems in students such as anxiety and depression, etc. These schools provide a safer study space to students with a minimum requirement to socialize or group study restrictions.  

Q2. Is online school better for ADHD?

Ans: Online schooling reduces distractions and helps students with ADHD to focus better on their studies. 

Q3. Is online school good for people with social anxiety?

Ans: Social anxiety in students can be difficult to manage in a crowded classroom. Such students need a safer space to be heard and learn better in a positive environment. 

Q4. Should I be homeschooled if I have social anxiety?

Ans: You can choose alternative schooling mediums like homeschooling or online schooling if you have social anxiety. This will make the academic journey easier for you in many ways.