Parenting experts and educators worldwide have called for a renewed focus on strengthening children’s emotional intelligence as digital exposure and screen dependence continue to reshape modern parenting and learning.
This was the focus of a virtual global conversation on motherhood themed “Global Motherhood: Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids in the Digital Age,” organised by the WuraIsGold Charity Foundation and held virtually yesterday.
According to the chief executive officer of WuraIsGold Charity Foundation, Wuraola Onigbogi-Jackson, the session was organised to provide parents, educators, and caregivers with evidence-based guidance on nurturing children’s emotional well-being in the digital era.
The lead speaker, Dr Oluwakemi Olurinola, an education technologist and consultant, highlighted the growing concern that while technology has widened learning access, it has also weakened human-to-human connection—an essential foundation for children’s emotional development.
In her presentation titled “The Empathy Equation: Beyond the Screen – Building Connection in the Virtual Classroom,” Olurinola stressed the need for deliberate efforts to preserve empathy and social bonds in digital learning environments.
“We must set goals beyond the screen,” she said. “Children must adapt to technology and learn to feel, connect, and communicate. Digital learning should foster empathy, not diminish it.”
The interactive webinar also featured a panel discussion with experts across mental health, early childhood education, and parenting. Panelists included Dr Adetoun Faloye, a psychiatrist with NHS England; Pastor Kachi Zimughan, a parenting coach; Camille Tyan Mahendra, founder of Interracial Family Singapore; Mrs. Alolade Oyebamiji, an early childhood education specialist based in the United States; and Abimbola Ayoade-Obayan, an English language educator in the UK. Social impact leader Sharon Chiahemen moderated the session.
Speakers shared practical strategies for raising children equipped with modern digital tools, not consumed by them, encouraging open communication, healthy boundaries, and intentional offline bonding.
“Children can use screens without losing their humanity,” Faloye said, noting that emotional literacy remains a significant gap in child development in many African families.
Several parents who attended shared real-life experiences, noting the increasing difficulty of raising children in a highly digital world. They expressed concerns about reduced attention spans, limited physical interaction, and the challenge of maintaining open parent–child relationships.
The organisers said more programmes are underway to continue equipping families with the tools to build the next generation of socially conscious, emotionally intelligent, resilient children.
