Education authorities in Guangdong Province recently called for a ban on electronic devices such as smartphones from classrooms in a bid to fight myopia, or nearsightedness, among young students, news portal xkb.com.cn reported.
There are many factors that cause myopia in children, such as lack of physical exercise and too much time spent indoors. However it is the prevalent use of phones and tablets, namely apps for homework assignments that have become a major issue. These measures aim to tackle this problem, read an editorial in the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily.
Apps are a common teaching tool in many Chinese cities: teachers assign homework in apps, students do and upload homework with apps, and parents use apps to check on homework grades.
There is no denying that using apps for homework assignments has its merits. For instance, parents and teachers can communicate more easily. Many people see homework apps as an unavoidable trend, and designing assignments to resemble video games can spark enthusiasm for studying.
The downside is that homework apps keep students in front of screens longer, which is a further strain on their ocular health.
On August 30, the Ministry of Education, National Health Commission and other six departments jointly issued a comprehensive measure to prevent and control myopia in children and adolescents. This measure aims to control the myopia rate of six-year-old children in China at a maximum of three percent. It also stipulated that teachers assign paper-based homework and that schools work to limit the use of electronic devices in teaching.
Although apps have their benefits, they leave children vulnerable to myopia, which means it's time to say no to app-based homework, read the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily editorial.
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