We Gon' Be Alright (?)
Photo by Fernando @cferdophotography on UnsplashWe are in the middle of a mental health crisis. And we have been for years. In 2017, Kenya was ranked 5th in Africa for cases of depression. 3 years later, in 2020, the Ministry of Health revealed that 1 in 4 Kenyans are seeking help for a mental health issue. By 2021, 10% of our population — roughly 4 million Kenyans — are suffering from a recognised and diagnosed mental health disorder.
This problem is far worse among children because they rely on us to tell them what is right and wrong. They trust us to get them the help they need. And we have failed them. Right now, 2 million young Kenyans are suffering from mental health disorders. The failure lies not in these cases, but in the millions we don’t know about. This “2 Million” figure represents the children who were able to access doctors, therapists and psychiatrists. The children whose parents humbled themselves, for the sake of their happiness and well-being. The children who, when in crisis, were met with love and empathy.What about the rest? The ones we don’t know about? The others who couldn’t access treatment? The ones without a strong support system?
How can we help them?
When children come to us, seeking relief, how do we respond? Do we treat their emotions and thoughts seriously? E̵v̵e̵n̵ ̵W̵h̵e̵n̵, Especially when we don’t understand them? Do we take the time to teach them about their feelings, and how to process them in healthy ways? Do we prioritise them, and not take their anger, their grief, their stress, their disappointment, personally?
As a former child myself, and as a person diagnosed with depression and anxiety and untreated eating disorders, I know what the answers to these questions are. I grew up believing that my problems were not important. I was told that I was overreacting and it was my responsibility to soothe myself. But nobody taught me how. And as I learned, I began to resent the adults in my life who brushed me aside. I saw malice and neglect in their dismissal when, in reality, the situation was far more complex. The adults in my life were doing the best they could with the tools they had. Unfortunately, their best was not enough for me.
But that doesn’t mean, it can never be enough.
If anything, it means that we should try harder to do better. To not fail our children. To not allow mental illness to rob them of the dreams they have for their futures.
This led me to explore the role of edTech in improving well-being. After all, children spend most of their lives at school. Their teachers are one of the constants in their life. Yet many educators are ill-equipped to handle the complexities of childhood psychology. I say this not to disparage their efforts but to empathise with them. Teachers are overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. They are doing their best, with the tools they have. And edTech can better equip that arsenal.
EdTech allows teachers to better monitor and respond to individual learners and their progress and guide inquiry into new topics. Within the context of mental health, this allows educators to identify and address behavioural changes within each student; nurturing positive outcomes and guiding students through difficult times.
Furthermore, edTech allows learners to feel like they are part of a community that does not end when they return home. Mental health illnesses often isolate you from yourself, your family and your peers. It divorces you from that sense of community and belonging that is integral to our survival. Leaving you hopelessly alone and victim to your worst impulses. EdTech can help schools/institutions and students to build support networks for their students.
Additionally, edTech is designed to be accessible and drive student engagement. This means that they can intervene in ways traditional solutions — counselling sessions — can’t. Rob Parker notes, “Unlike wellbeing lessons or counselling services, these apps are accessible at all times, are designed with student engagement in mind and can often be used anonymously, circumventing the stigma which stops many people from seeking help.”
However, it is worth noting that edTech is not without its faults. Studies have found that it can increase the amount of anxiety and stress educators experience. As Fernandez-Batanero et al. summarises, “The large number of demands and obligations linked to their professional role forces teachers to work after school hours and in their personal lives to respond to them.” Similarly, edTech has also been linked to higher instances of cyberbullying amongst students, as technology meets with an impulsive, adolescent brain that does not yet understand the permanence of consequences.
Yet, for all these faults, it is worth noting that they are not borne of edTech. EdTech, like the internet that animates it, is a reflection of us. Our priorities. Our relationships. Our flaws. Therefore, if we want edTech to help, rather than harm, we must be intentional about how we use it.
EdTech places teachers under greater strain because we have not changed what it means to be a teacher. Teachers are no longer holders of knowledge, but facilitators of learning. And as this change happens, “technology becomes an ally to monitor students’ autonomous performance, [levelling ]the “workloads” between students and teachers [and], decreasing teachers’ anxiety.” Similarly, edTech mutates bullying in schools, but it is not responsible for its initial occurrences. In fact, “Technology in education can be used as a preventative solution to minimise harassment in schools, and encourage better communication between educators and pupils.” EdTech can encourage conversations that build empathy and teach about online safety. Artificial Intelligence can help you identify and track cases, providing real-time feedback that can help target a response. In short, writing off edTech as the source of our mental health problems denies you a critical tool that can help address these issues.
Where does this leave us? Are we going to be alright? Are our children going to be alright?
To be honest, I wish I knew.
I wish I could say that edTech is the panacea for improving and nurturing student well-being. But what I can say is that using these tools might mean the world to people like me. EdTech might be the difference between a future in which our children thrive, and one where they merely survive.
We have been provided with an opportunity to be and do better with the tools that we have. To be and do better for the millions of children currently experiencing mental health crises.
To be the kind of people we needed when we were growing up.
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month Everyone!