Do parents and students need the pandemic-era school WhatsApp groups? Premium

While Meta’s WhatsApp was not designed with school-going children in mind, it has become a permanent fixture in their lives.

Gita*, 19, was a high school student in Bangalore when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and her classroom went online. She said WhatsApp class groups helped her get to know almost 100 other classmates, and exercise her social skills when lockdowns were in place.

“The entire schooling experience changed me, making me more open-minded and consistently learning and growing, and I believe those class groups also had something to do with it,” Gita said. “However, texting people instead of [meeting] face-to-face was difficult in terms of a lack of emotions portrayed or reactions received.”

Once back in physical classes, it “proved to be difficult to talk to people, even if you had been close with them online,” she said.

Gita is now in college, and part of several college-related WhatsApp groups. She notes that she can even get academic doubts on specific subjects cleared through such groups. While Gita “heavily” depends on the social messaging platform for academics and staying in touch with friends, the constant chat notifications from the app are “overwhelming” at times.

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With over 450 million users in India in 2021 as per Statista’s data, WhatsApp has been used for everything from sending early morning inspiration to late night reminders before exam days. Parents of young children also use the platform to share class notes, check homework assignments, keep track of their child’s progress, share doctors’ contacts, and suggest fun afterschool classes for the children.

Aarthi*, 34, a special educator in Chennai, used to dislike WhatsApp groups during the pandemic. In these chats, she witnessed parents bickering with each other over teacher issues and other children’s behaviour during online classes. Now, post-pandemic, some WhatsApp groups have come in handy, particularly when Aarthi’s son transitioned to middle school.