Parents of virtual learners say their kids have worse mental health, less time outside, CDC survey finds

One year after the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools nationwide, a CDC survey released Thursday shows that remote learning has taken a toll on the mental and physical health of both parents and children. 

The parents of children who learned virtually reported worse outcomes for their kids on 11 of 17 stress and well-being indicators compared to kids who went to school for in-person instruction.  "Parents of children receiving virtual instruction were more likely than were parents of children receiving in-person instruction to report that their children experienced decreased physical activity (62.9% versus 30.3%), time spent outside (58.0% versus 27.4%), in-person time with friends (86.2% versus 69.5%), virtual time with friends (24.3% versus 12.6%), and worsened mental or emotional health (24.9% versus 15.9%)," the authors wrote.