Know the New Equilibrium for Telehealth and Edtech on World Children's Day

World Children’s Day (WCD) is marked on November 20^th as a call to action for communities, schools, institutions, businesses and sports to underpin children’s rights and engage with them. The theme for WCD 2024 is “Listen to the Future,” emphasizing challenges-climate change, conflict and disruptive technology-that are a threat to children’s future.

The history of Children’s Day winds the clock to 1954 when the United Nations General Assembly formed the Universal Children’s Day. It coincides with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. WCD is a strong reminder that every child has the opportunity to learn, thrive and grow in a nurturing and safe environment.

With the need to raise healthy, happy and optimistic children, childcare services, telehealth, pediatric clinic health and education technology can be the game-changer.

Empowering Child Care Services

Creating a generation of talented adults demands childcare services for communication development, logical reasoning and social and emotional development. To put this in perspective, childcare can be the silver lining to overcome economic, geographic and social isolation, enabling parents to work, train or study. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The labor force participation rate for all mothers with children under 18 years old was 74% in 2023.

The prevailing trend has underpinned the child care services market on the back of the rising prevalence of daycare centers, babysitters, private nannies and after-school programs. In essence, investments in high-quality childcare augur well for parents, children and society. While families may invest in childcare, the lower child-to-teacher ratios remain a challenge that adds up to the cost of childcare.

Combating Mental Health through Telehealth

Telemedicine or telehealth services have brought a paradigm shift in expanding access to pediatric care and services, negating geographical constraints, reducing costs and boosting patient experience. In February 2024, the Washington Post cited reports suggesting that video-based care witnessed a 2,300% rise (by spring 2023) from its pre-pandemic level-telemedicine continued to be the medium to provide 55% of mental health care.

Amidst the mental health crisis among youth becoming a hot topic across advanced and emerging economies, responsibilities lie in the hands of stakeholders in the pediatric telehealth market. For instance, a 2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report claimed that in the U.S., almost 20% of young people and children aged 3–17 had an emotional, mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. The adoption of telehealth to combat depression and other mental issues can be a paradigm shift in providing psychiatric crisis care and bringing behavioral care within reach.

Mapping Pediatric Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are pivotal in providing evidence to study medical products to prevent, diagnose, treat and cure childhood diseases. Children’s participation in clinical trials can help companies develop medicines that are effective and safe. These trials may be sought to verify design modification for children and facilitate age-wise use of devices. Meanwhile, ethical and economic challenges remain a concern. The WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform aims to enhance research transparency and awareness and foster access to information to conduct clinical trials for children.

Since clinical research has gained ground to develop safe pediatric formulations, medications and clinical interventions, the pediatric clinical trials market is poised to receive an impetus. The need to underpin empirically verified and age-specific therapies to bring a paradigm shift in the medical treatment landscape complements 2024’s theme of listening to the future.

Education Technology is here to Stay

Technological advancements in the education sector, underpinned by virtual reality tools and artificial intelligence, provide unparalleled access to high-quality learning experiences. Predominantly, an AI has become a trailblazer in lesson planning and grading. Besides, VR can help students:

• Develop cognitive understanding;

• Enhance spatial thinking;

• Explore virtual trips.

The trend for an immersive, real and holistic learning environment fosters the education technology market. However, increased exposure to screen time and lack of quality content are roadblocks to the adoption of edtech tools.

Amidst challenges, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has forayed as a growth enabler in the education sector, prompting governments to bolster their strategies. To illustrate, in September 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation joined forces with the Micron Foundation to foster STEM education training for K-12 teachers in underresourced and high-need school districts.

The early exposure to STEM concepts, along with the gamification trend, is expected to propel the government education market. For instance, in October 2024, the government of India pushed for gamification in school curriculum to make complex subjects more accessible, attractive and engaging for students.

What Future Holds?

Businesses and governments are expected to make a positive impact by embedding children’s rights into their strategies. They are also likely to collaborate with NGOs and schools to give them a voice, allow them to make their choice and share vision through video projects, VR tools, drawing and creative writing. A notable use of state-of-the-technologies in schools underscores personalized learning and edutainment trends. Nonetheless, remote treatment-telehealth services-will be the next big thing in pediatrics.