At the First in Class Awards Conclave 2026, hosted by ITV Network, education leaders, counsellors, and parents sat down to tackle some big issues facing students right now i.e. peer pressure, digital stress, and emotional well-being.
NewsX Senior Editor Uday Pratap Singh led the conversation, and the panel didn’t just stick to what happens in classrooms. They talked about how learning spills over into homes, friendships, and the online world.
The group shared real ways to help kids build resilience, handle failure, navigate social media, and understand different cultures.
It wasn’t just talk; they gave schools and parents useful ideas for helping kids grow up confident and balanced, without all the extra pressure. In a world that’s changing fast, that kind of teamwork between home and school matters more than ever.
Here are excerpts from the session: Peer Pressure & the Price of Belonging
How are schools dealing with peer pressure among students today?
At the panel, Ms Shikha Vij from Steps By Steps School, Noida (Counsellor) told NewsX, “Peer pressure today affects everything, from subject choices to college decisions and even habits children pick up. The most important tool is communication. Schools talk to students, but this has to continue at home too. A major problem is that many parents only talk about grades. If we move beyond marks, students open up more and feel empowered to make their own decisions.”
How important is emotional intelligence (EQ), and when should schools start teaching it?
Ms Saanchi Khanna, Modern School, Vasant Vihar (Counsellor/Educator): Just like literacy, emotional intelligence is fundamental. Primary years are the best time to start, teaching children to label emotions, talk about feelings, and understand themselves. This can be done through stories, role plays, competitions, and creative activities. As children grow older, this emotional “dictionary” can be expanded and deepened.
What role do parents play in complementing learning, especially in the digital age?
Ms Talish Ray, Sanskriti School, (Parent & Cultural Educator) at the conclave stated, “Learning today is a 24×7 process. Children learn by watching their parents. One breakthrough moment for me was telling my child, “I don’t know, let’s figure it out together.”
That builds a shared learning mindset.
She added, “On digital literacy, the world has changed how brains and communication work. Social media is now part of children’s identity many introduce themselves by their Instagram handles, which reflects a curated version of life. We must remind children that digital platforms are like fire: a great servant, but a bad master. Schools deserve credit for teaching online safety, and parents must keep reminding children about risks, privacy, and overexposure.”
When and how should children be taught to deal with failure?
Ms Richa Bhatia (School Leader) told NewsX, “From preschool itself, children should learn that failure is not the end, it’s an opportunity. Schools must teach resilience and self-belief. If a child fails, they should know someone is supporting them, not judging them.”
She continued, “Teachers must avoid labelling children as failures. Every child has different strengths. As the saying goes, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a wall, it will believe it is stupid all its life. Education should focus on compassion, resilience, and identifying strengths, because we are preparing students for a global world, not just exams.”
What causes the most anxiety and pressure among students today?
Ms Yashita Khera (Counsellor): Today, the world is the battlefield for children. Earlier, failures were private. Now, everything, success, failure, strengths, and weaknesses, is public. Social comparison is constant.”
She added, “Just when students feel they’re close to their goal, someone sets a higher benchmark. This creates feelings of being not being good enough, unheard, and unvalidated. The solution is to create not just a safe space, but also a brave space where students can speak openly without fear.”
How do culture, heritage, and creative exposure help children grow?
Ms Talish said Exposure builds creative and cultural intelligence. A child may prefer simple rhythms or popular visuals, but when you introduce them gradually to classical music, museums, heritage spaces, and art, you are tuning their senses.
The key is:
Start early
Make it regular
Keep it comfortable
Don’t overwhelm children. Small, repeated, positive exposures work better than forced, uncomfortable experiences. You are competing with malls and movie halls, so make culture inviting, not a punishment.
What role should parents play in handling pressure and failure?
Ms Saanchi: A parent’s reaction becomes a child’s inner voice. If a child fears going home after poor marks, they will learn to hide things. Schools encourage parents to adopt constructive feedback and a more accepting view of failure.
Some schools run parent emotional check-ins and support groups where parents share challenges and learn from each other. This has proven very effective in changing perspectives and improving communication at home.
How are teachers trained to spot early signs of mental health struggles? Does the buddy system help?
Shikha Vij: The buddy system definitely helps every child need at least one person who listens. Today, there is a lack of listening; everyone wants to speak, not receive.
Teachers, by nature, are part counsellors. Many schools now invest in mental health training as part of professional development. Given the seriousness of issues like student suicides, educators are extremely cautious and alert. Pairing students thoughtfully in buddy systems and continuous teacher training are both crucial.
How do schools handle new challenges like gaming pressure and gender identity awareness?
Ms Yashita from IP Global School, Noida, told NewsX: Children are already aware of these issues—often more than adults. The teacher’s role is not just to inform, but to sensitise to teach students how to behave, respect differences, and support one another.
Teachers use hypervigilance; they can often sense when a child is not themselves. By modelling empathy and awareness, schools create an environment where students learn acceptance naturally.
Everyone wants to be ‘first in class’. How do schools avoid unhealthy pressure around this?
Ms Richa Bhatia concluded, “Recognition should not be limited to top scorers. Schools must celebrate effort, improvement, and achievements in all areas, including extracurricular activities. This builds belonging and self-worth.”
She further stated, “Parents also need to understand that good grades are not everything. Education is about holistic development. Every child is unique and good at something. Our responsibility as educators is to acknowledge, encourage, and support every child, not just the toppers.
The panel agreed that modern education must balance academic goals with emotional well-being, digital awareness, resilience, creativity, and empathy, so that students grow not just into high achievers but into healthy, confident, and grounded individuals.
