Lesson 9: Social Health

Rule 1: What is social health? — Social health is the ability of a person to establish relationships with other persons. The ability to change one's behaviour according to changing social conditions is an important characteristic. Good social health depends on a strong personality, many friends and relatives, proper use of time during loneliness and with the peer group, trust in others, and respect and acceptance for others.

• Easy : Easy: a child who shares a toy and listens to others shows good social health.
• Medium : Medium: a new student moves to a different town and quickly adjusts to the new customs; that is the ability to change behaviour with social conditions.
• Exam-type : Exam: name any four marks of good social health: trust, respect, friendship, acceptance of others.

Rule 2: Factors affecting social health — Satisfying basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, medicines), education, financial status, job opportunities, the social environment, the residential area (transport, water, toilets, playgrounds, gardens), social safety, social treatment and political conditions.

In the figure : In the figure factors that affect social health.

• Easy : Easy: a locality with a playground and a garden helps children make friends and stay active.
• Medium : Medium: lack of food or safe water creates worry and tension, which spoils relationships.
• Exam-type : Exam: how does education improve social health? It gives knowledge, job opportunities and the habit of respecting others.

Spot the difference

Rule 1: Stress and inequality — Mental stress: with the growth of population, competition has increased in education, jobs and business. Children face loneliness and stress due to nuclear families and parents who stay out for jobs. Gender inequality (restrictions on girls, teasing and molestation) causes stress among girls. Disorder, crime and violence add stress, and people who see crime as a 'fast and easy way of making money' become scapegoats.

In the figure : In the figure stress, addiction and inequality.

• Easy : Easy: a child whose parents are away for long working hours may feel lonely; talking with a trusted adult helps.
• Medium : Medium: rising competition for marks and jobs increases stress; balanced study, sleep and play lower it.
• Exam-type : Exam: why does gender inequality harm social health? It creates fear, restrictions and stress among girls and weakens trust in society.

Rule 2: Addiction and its harm — Adolescents are strongly influenced by their peer group. Children try tobacco, cigarettes, gutkha, alcohol and drugs due to peer pressure, as a symbol of a high standard of living or by imitating elders. Drugs may permanently damage the nervous system, muscles and heart; tobacco is carcinogenic (causes cancer) of the mouth and lungs. Alcoholism reduces the efficiency of the brain and liver and the lifespan, hinders brain development in adolescents and slows memory and learning. Wrongly made liquor is poisonous and can kill many at once. Ignorance towards chronic patients (AIDS, TB, leprosy, mental disorders) and old persons increases old age homes.

• Easy : Easy: a friend offers a cigarette; saying a clear 'no' and walking away is the safest response.
• Medium : Medium: if a person spends ₹50 daily on tobacco, in a year it is 50 × 365 = ₹18,250 wasted on something that harms the body.
• Exam-type : Exam: tobacco is carcinogenic for the mouth and lungs; alcohol harms the brain and liver; drugs harm the nervous system and heart.

Spot the difference

Rule 1: Over-use of cell phones and computers — Spending hours with cell phones makes people unaware of their surroundings. Cell phone radiation may cause tiredness, headache, insomnia, forgetfulness, tinnitus, joint pains and vision problems, and it penetrates children's bones more than adults'. Continuous use of computers and the internet makes a person solitary, self-centred and less sensitive; autism and selfishness may develop.

In the figure : In the figure over-use of technology harms health.

• Easy : Easy: a student who plays on the phone for 5 hours a day instead of playing outside has less time for exercise and friends.
• Medium : Medium: 3 hours a day on a phone is 3 × 7 = 21 hours a week, almost a whole day lost.
• Exam-type : Exam: list four health problems from heavy phone use: tiredness, headache, sleeplessness, vision problems.

Rule 2: Harmful games, selfies and media — Virtual war and car-race games and cartoon films can make children's behaviour negative; some games waste time and money and can even be fatal (for example the blue whale game). Risky selfies are called selfiecide. Destructive and unnatural acts under stress, such as making videos of accidents instead of helping victims, are treated as mental illness by medical science. The government bans websites, movies and cartoons that are inappropriate for children. Media should be used constructively, only for essential needs and entertainment.

• Easy : Easy: if you see an accident, call for help or the ambulance first; do not just record a video.
• Medium : Medium: take a selfie only at a safe place; avoid cliffs, railway tracks and water edges.
• Exam-type : Exam: media should be used in a constructive way; a timetable that fixes screen time helps.

Spot the difference

Rule 1: Kinds of cyber crime — Examples: cheating consumers by showing superior items but delivering inferior ones; using a PIN without the consumer's knowledge; hacking (हॅकिंग) of confidential information of the government, institutes and companies; fake social media accounts used to tease girls or exploit them financially; piracy (चौर्य) (illegal use or sale of others' literature, software, photos, videos and music); and derogatory messages, vulgar pictures and inflammatory statements.

• Easy : Easy: a call asking for your debit card PIN is a fraud; no bank asks for it.
• Medium : Medium: downloading a new film from an illegal site is piracy, because the maker is not paid.
• Exam-type : Exam: name any four cyber crimes: hacking, piracy, fake accounts, cheating through online shopping.

Rule 2: Safety and the law — Never disclose your Aadhaar, PAN, credit or debit card numbers or your PIN to anyone. Committing a cyber crime is also a mental illness, and the criminals later face mental stress. The police have a 'Cyber crime unit' that investigates with the help of the internet. The IT Act, 2000 has been in force since 17 October 2000 and was amended in 2008; punishment includes imprisonment for 3 years or a fine up to 5 lakh. Maharashtra was the first state to start a separate cyber crime unit.

In the figure : In the figure rules for online safety.

• Easy : Easy: never share an OTP; it opens your account to a stranger.
• Medium : Medium: use strong passwords with letters, numbers and symbols, and different ones for different accounts.
• Exam-type : Exam: state two precautions on social media: do not accept requests from strangers, and do not share personal photos or details.

Spot the difference

Rule 1: Healthy ways to relieve stress — Loud laughter in a laughter club, talking to friends, teachers and parents, writing down your feelings, hobbies (collecting, photography, reading, cooking, drawing, rangoli, dancing), music, outdoor games (exercise, discipline, interaction and unity), exercise, massage, yoga (discipline, balanced food, meditation, deep breathing, yogic sleep) and meditation (improves concentration). Gardening, bird watching and rearing animals build a positive mindset.

In the figure : In the figure healthy ways to manage stress.

• Easy : Easy: after a tough day, 15 minutes of playing outside or listening to music can lighten the mind.
• Medium : Medium: writing down what is worrying you, then discussing it with a parent or teacher, often shows a solution.
• Exam-type : Exam: name four ways to manage stress: yoga, meditation, music, outdoor games.

Rule 2: When stress is too much, and the fight against tobacco — If stress cannot be managed it can lead to depression and frustration; medical advice, counselling, psychotherapy and NGOs can help. The Unified Movement against Tobacco was started by 45 organizations such as the WHO and Tata Trust. The Salaam Mumbai Foundation works with slum children and, since 2002, with about 200 schools in Mumbai and 14,000 schools in the rest of Maharashtra to make society tobacco-free. Helpline numbers (for example, Childline 1098) help children in distress.

• Easy : Easy: if you feel sad for many days and cannot sleep or eat, tell an adult and meet a counsellor or doctor.
• Medium : Medium: asking for help is a sign of strength and is as normal as visiting a doctor for fever.
• Exam-type : Exam: how do NGOs like the Salaam Mumbai Foundation help? They work with schools and children to build a tobacco-free society.

Spot the difference