Vidyashilp University Hosts National 'Let's D-Stress' Initiative on Digital Wellbeing
In response to the growing challenges faced by students balancing rigorous academic demands with pervasive digital engagement, Vidyashilp University in Bengaluru hosted a crucial session titled 'Let's D-Stress: Campus Conversations' on Tuesday. This national initiative, spearheaded by The Times of India, aims to foster meaningful dialogue around digital wellbeing and its profound implications for student life.
Interactive Session Led by RJ Shaayan and Expert Panel
The event featured a dynamic, high-energy interactive engagement led by popular radio personality RJ Shaayan, designed to captivate and involve students directly. Following this, a fireside discussion provided deeper insights, featuring Dr. Jayant Mahadevan, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
The conversation was skillfully moderated by Ashwini Tadpatrikar, Assistant Professor at Vidyashilp University and a former clinical psychologist at NIMHANS. The panel addressed pressing questions from students regarding digital behaviors, offering evidence-based perspectives and practical advice.
Focus on Recognizing and Mitigating Digital Overuse
The core objective of the 'Let's D-Stress' initiative is to empower students to:
- Identify and recognize patterns of excessive digital usage that may disrupt daily life.
- Understand the significant impact of digital overuse on critical cognitive functions such as attention, memory retention, and effective learning processes.
- Explore and implement actionable strategies to cultivate healthier, more mindful digital habits that support academic and personal growth.
Academic Leadership Emphasizes the Urgency of Digital Discipline
Prof. Chandan Gowda, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Vidyashilp University, underscored the critical importance of digital wellbeing in contemporary education. He stated, "Digital wellbeing has become an essential quality to cultivate among students. Attention, reflection, and genuine learning are put at high risk in its absence."
Prof. Gowda elaborated further, highlighting the cognitive consequences of constant screen engagement: "When the student's mind is constantly fragmented by screens, knowledge becomes hurried and superficial, and genuine learning becomes impossible. To reduce screen time is of course not to reject technology but to reclaim slowness, conversation, and interiority. Classrooms must cultivate the discipline of disengaging from digital technologies as much as the skill of accessing them."
This session at Vidyashilp University represents a proactive step in addressing the mental health and academic challenges posed by the digital age, providing students with tools to navigate their online and offline worlds more effectively.
