Hyderabad, Aug. 11 -- The long hours children spend on computers and smart phones for online classes as schools remain shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to bother parents as complaints of headaches, eye problems and stress surface, it has been learnt.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) recommended just 30 hours of screen time for pre-primary students, two classes of 45 minutes each for classes 1 to 8 and four classes of 45 minutes each for classes 9 to 12, but that's not working, parents allege. Many schools are not following the directions, which anyway are not binding.

Classes go on for longer than expected. "My children recently developed fever and headaches after attending online classes and I had to take...