The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly altered the functioning of educational institutions. Most governments have adopted social distancing and quarantine strategies, with the suspension of face-to-face classes being one of the most frequently used measures. This essay seeks to address online education using elements of the theory of social systems developed by Niklas Luhmann. According to our analysis, these teaching modalities face at least two challenges: a) the absence of a specifically educational interaction space different from the family space and b) the restriction of teaching to what can be transmitted digitally. This challenge demands the need to promote organizational processes in educational institutions that recognize the possibilities of distance learning.