Online learning and child abuse: the COVID-19 pandemic impact on work and school from home in Indonesia

Abstract

The Indonesian government has made a policy requiring parents and children to work and study from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this policy was meant to limit the spread of the virus and its effects, it has caused psychological trauma, increased stress on parents, and raised child abuse. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the issue of child abuse during online learning, its underlying factors, and its implications on children's mental health. A descriptive qualitative method was used along with a survey technique utilizing Google Forms, involving 317 parents as respondents. The results showed that there was physical, emotional, and verbal child abuse and negligence during online learning. This happened because children were often assumed of neglecting studies and misusing gadgets. Furthermore, the stress levels in parents increased due to the dual role, i.e, working and being teachers at home.