There are so many reasons - your child may be experiencing one or more from the list below or have a totally different experience as these last few years are unprecedented. 

• Anxieties about school stemming from missing out on socialization during  Covid and virtual school .

• It may have been hard for your child to concentrate on the computer without the normal stimuli of a classroom. 

• Working on the computer without supervision may have been too tempting to switch to games or messaging friends.

• The children going back to school may find it hard to adapt to social distancing or wearing a mask to school.   

• The work is too challenging.

• The work is not challenging enough.

• They may need glasses.

• They may have an undiagnosed learning disability.  

• Your child not be paying complete attention.

• Your child may not yet have the organizational skills needed for virtual school or in person school.

• The virtual months and all its challenges may have left your child feeling unmotivated.

• They may be grieving family members or even events which have not been able to occur due to the pandemic. 

• They could be being bullied. In person or on social media.

• There personality traits may not have been suited to online work (For example if they are shy it is harder to get a participation grade on a group meet)

Tips to help if your child gets distracted on the computer and drifts towards Video games or group chats

• Be sympathetic - it happens to us adults to we have a task and then for some reason we are suddenly on Facebook or some other app.

• Talk to them and ask them for solutions. A solution from the child is worth much more than the one for you. Even though they may end up being the same solution one for you may feel like a dictated task not a solution.

• Make a schedule - same as above get them involved - when do they feel a break would be most beneficial ? When would they like time outside or playing sport? How much time should they get to play games and when ?

• Set alarms and timers for the predetermined breaks and back to work times

• Reassess the work area. Turning the screen to where you can see it as you walk past may help curb tab wandering. 

• Clear distractions from desk. Consider removing phones and  other gaming systems from the area.

• Clear tabs and Desktop on the screen from all non school tabs.

• Create accountability for if your child is caught on a tab not for school during school time (if breaks are scheduled there should be no need to wander). Discuss with your child consequences before the infringement occurs. Consider a Parent/Child behavioral contract. A contract negotiated by you and your child to create accountability. Click HERE for a downloadable.   

•   Learn how to check history. Go to the menu bar, click History then All History. This will show what time the site was accessed. If you fear your child may have deleted the history (let's face it our children are often more tech savvy than we are.) Watch THIS video to restore. Shift Command H is also  a shortcut for history. 

Good luck everyone - let us know if you have something which works which we should include.