Pandemic effects: Children feel lonely and don’t trust their parents anymore, survey says. Criminal file in Cumpanasu case

Children feel lonely and don’t trust their parents anymore, reads a study conducted by World Vision Romania on the effects of the online activities over children. The most affected are children in the countryside and from poor families.

World Vision Romania Foundation warns over the multiple dangers in the online that children are exposed to during this period. The COVID-19 pandemic and the online school prompted pupils to get isolated, as they did not communicate anymore with their teachers, colleagues, and, sometimes either with their parents, although they live under the same roof.

Amid this loneliness felt by kids, they become more vulnerable to the dangers and negative models in the online.

According to the latest statistics provided by World Vision Romania, during COVID-19 pandemic, the most exposed to the online dangers are the children living in the countryside.

“Over 20% of the children who live in the countryside in Romania say they are happy only sometimes or never, while 7% say they have a bad life. Children in the countryside or from other vulnerable categories, lacking financial resources, are thus perfect victims of the media manipulators. For them, the only chance to a future is education, a modern education system, which should provide all children with equal chances, regardless of their origin or financial status of the their family”, says a World Vision Romania press release.

The foundation also warns over the online attacks against teachers.

“Unfortunately, children being instigated to attacking their teachers is a symptom of an authority crisis both within the family and also at school, where teachers are playing an essential role. Teachers cannot be under any circumstances considered the enemies of children or of their rights and liberties,” World Vision argues.

The survey also points out that almost one fifth of the children living in the countryside don’t ever feel supported by their own family, and here the extended family is also included (uncles, aunts, etc). 6% of these children don’t ever trust the adults with whom they share the same house.

8% of the children think that their family is never standing by them when they need help, while 23% say that one family member is never spending time with them, or rarely. So, the children’s confidence in parents has dropped by 14% in 2020, up to 79%.

Amid this context, the public success of some characters who are instigating to hatred and who are popular among kids is not surprising at all.

The Cumpanasu case eyed by prosecutors

The warning comes amid checks Police is conducting in the case of the messages posted on TikTok by Alexandru Cumpănaşu, a controversial character. Over 500,000 children and youngsters are following his TikTok account „proful online/the online teacher”, where Cumpănaşu is encouraging children to disrespect their teachers and treat them with hatred.

Alexandru Cumpănaşu has become known to the public eye in the high-sounding crime case in Caracal, as he was the uncle of the allegedly murdered teen girl in Caracal, Alexandra Macesanu.

Late on Wednesday, the Prosecutor’s Office upon the District 4 Court announced that it had opened in rem criminal investigation for the crimes of incitement to hatred or discrimination in the case of Alexandru Cumpănașu.

A concrete example of Cumpanasu’s statements is his urge for pupils to stop doing physical exercised during the PE classes, on the ground that “footage can be posted on various websites”, hinting to the pedophilia.

Rise Project has released an audio footage where Cumpănașu is heard telling a 15-year-old school girl that “he loves her very much”.