How important is a Digital Detox? And how relevant is one when it comes to students and that age group of society? This article aims to tell you just how important technology is, and how an absence of it is even more important. Today we live in a generation of Social Media and the internet, where everything that happens is done online and what happens online, stays there forever. In a time when online media and the internet has such a big part to play, it’s really a very powerful tool in terms of influencing the mind of a teenager or a student, positively and negatively.

Disconnecting from technology has a plethora of benefits not just academically, but generally too for the well-being of a budding young student. A student can in fact do really well if he or she is isolated from the distractions of technology. Students today are addicted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to such an extent that they need to check their phone every 5 minutes and as a result, have the attention span of a 2 year old.

Besides helping teens focus and pay attention to the task at hand, a digital detox also helps increase social interactions – a phenomenon that seems to have gone extinct in today’s times. Social interaction is something that is necessary, because the more they interact and are exposed to real time surroundings, the  better they get at dealing with them, and the more of help it’ll be to them in a few years when they’re faced with real time obstacles and scenarios at their workplace, in their personal life, etc.

Another thing that the detox will help your kid with is that he won’t take as long to study and exams won’t really be a task if he isn’t distracted the whole duration of his school time or even before the exams. He has time at hand, along with the necessary focus and can get done with his studies and get a good night’s sleep before the exam.

Social media gives many of us an unrealistic impression about life. It is important to give the real picture to your children, instead of letting them think that everyone’s life on social media is perfect. It is easy to fall into this trap with social media, and it is necessary that a check on reality is consciously maintained at all times. This in turn works wonders for mental health, as you want your child to be happy and focused.

As parents, you should emphasize the need to find the right balance and avoid extremities when it comes to exposure to digital platforms and their effect on the performance of the student. Make it a priority to teach your children the importance of DISCONNECTING from the internet world.

When it comes to taking the next step the education cycle, it’s always a question for the parents whether or not to send the child away to a hostel. Even the children are apprehensive at the thought! Well, you can’t blame them for not wanting to get out of their comfort zone, it’s human nature after all. No one wants to leave the comfort of their homes and move out to a new place. But going away to a hostel to study has its own pros which outweigh the cons by a huge margin. Let’s discuss these further-

The good part about going away to a hostel is that you get exposed to a whole new world, a whole new lifestyle. Till now, it was not just you but your entire family involved in almost every choice you that you made. Hostel life means brings about a new level of independence! You learn how to take your own decisions, you learn how to own up to your mistakes, and most importantly you learn how to watch out for each other. Hostel life teaches you team-work and leadership in ways you couldn’t even imagine! 

Another good part about living in a hostel is that it isn’t just you who’s going through this period of change and transition from the pampered life to the solo life, it’s a whole lot of like-minded people of the same age group, experiencing similar feelings which helps you bond with each other and find a family away from your own. It’s no replacement of course, but it makes life that much easier to deal with and a little more enjoyable.

Hostel life gives you a sense of belonging, and a sense of attachment to your peers. These people come to care about you, since you’re practically living with them and learning, eating and growing together. You have people looking out for you, people to interact and grow with and ultimately you guys learn through each other’s experiences and mistakes.

Hostel life also teaches you one very important life lesson – Money Management.  Living in a hostel means living in a budget, and not running to your parents every time you want to eat, drink or buy something. It teaches you to budget and plan your finances and spend your money judiciously.

All in all, the hostel life is one that every kid should experience for at least a few years, and take as much learning from it as possible, so that they can continue molding themselves into able, responsible students that know how to find the right balance in life!