Fully-remote students are less engaged with learning and classmates. Parents see the effects firsthand.

• The majority of high schoolers are stressed by school. Rates are highest among full-time remote students.
• These students are less engaged with learning and feel less connected to teachers and classmates.
• Two moms with kids in remote learning tell Insider they've seen the challenges firsthand.

Noah, a second grader from California, recently went on what his mom describes as a Zoom strike.

"He finally lost it and just refused to sit down or log on. He was done," said Noah's mom, Irene, who asked that the names of her and her son be changed to protect his privacy.

Irene understood. Noah's school amounted to about two and half hours of Zoom meetings every day. Although it was less than some schools, it was too much for Noah, and Irene had seen his struggles.

"When I ask him what he doesn't like about Zoom, he said, 'It's on a screen, so you can't really interact with people, and I can't talk to them and touch them and play with them,'" Irene said.

So she didn't push it when Noah went on strike. She lets Noah read and hike, and doesn't force him to log in to school.

"Bottom line: I'm far less concerned about his grades than his psyche, so I'm spending an inordinate amount of time playing go-between [with teachers] and deciding what is and isn't necessary" Irene said.

Remote learners are more stressed, a study suggests

A new study of high schoolers in the US shows that Noah isn't alone, confirming what many families are experiencing first hand.

The study, funded by NBC News and conducted by Challenge Success, a non-profit associated with Stanford College, found that the effects of the pandemic are largest for kids who are enrolled entirely in online learning. Eighty-four percent of those learners reported exhaustion, insomnia and other stress-related symptoms, compared to 78% of kids who are learning in-person most of the time.

Study author Sarah Miles told NBC that kids who are fully remote are struggling to connect with the aspects like socialization and play that make school fun.

"Remote learning - and I don't think this is a surprise to anyone - is just more challenging," she said. "It's harder for kids to feel connected. It's harder for teachers, for the adults in the school, to connect and that's a foundational element. In order for kids to learn, they need to feel safe and connected. Everything else rests on top of that."

Relationships with teachers and peers are changing

The pandemic has also had a big impact on how students relate to their teachers and classmates. Half of students surveyed say they are less connected with their teachers, while 47% say they're less connected to classmates.

"Virtual learning can certainly get lonely for anyone," says Priscilla Blossom, a Colorado mom of a first-grader, who is currently looking for safe extracurricular activities to enroll her son in. "He's definitely in need of some socialization."

Staying engaged online can be challenging, especially when kids feel disconnected.

Blossom has found that her son's teachers have been willing to focus more on engagement than academic rigor, which helps with such young students.

"His teacher is extremely supportive and even suggests we allow kids to use fidget toys and take breaks and work at their pace," she said.

However, Irene said she's had the opposite experience.

"I ignore the stern finger-wagging of his teachers - who, I'm sure, are incredibly stressed themselves and so tired of second-graders coming to Zoom school unprepared - when they tell the kids that they need to be on time and have the right worksheets in front of them," she said. "Instead, I log him in and get him the papers he needs, and let him get every last second of play that he can before sitting down at the computer."

Both Blossom and Irene say they're trying to do the best they can, even as remote schooling takes a toll on their families.

"I imagine most folks are struggling right now, if not in one way then in another," Blossom said.