I teach middle school, and I have been preaching about the evils of smartphones in the hands of children for years. But Jonathan Haidt has added so much to the conversation. Sadly, he has shown, quite clearly, that by the time these 11-year olds arrive in my classroom, the damage has already been done. This newest generation cannot focus…
I teach middle school, and I have been preaching about the evils of smartphones in the hands of children for years. But Jonathan Haidt has added so much to the conversation. Sadly, he has shown, quite clearly, that by the time these 11-year olds arrive in my classroom, the damage has already been done. This newest generation cannot focus on a teacher's words for even 30 seconds. They have no curiosity about anything. They have been fed an algorithmically selected diet for two or three years before they arrive in school, and resent that the teacher expects them to focus on anything else. We need for pediatricians to warn parents against even minimal use of digital devices by preschoolers and we need to get them to play with other children, in person, rather than online. The development of our children's brains is being thwarted by these electronic babysitters.
I teach middle school, and I have been preaching about the evils of smartphones in the hands of children for years. But Jonathan Haidt has added so much to the conversation. Sadly, he has shown, quite clearly, that by the time these 11-year olds arrive in my classroom, the damage has already been done. This newest generation cannot focus on a teacher's words for even 30 seconds. They have no curiosity about anything. They have been fed an algorithmically selected diet for two or three years before they arrive in school, and resent that the teacher expects them to focus on anything else. We need for pediatricians to warn parents against even minimal use of digital devices by preschoolers and we need to get them to play with other children, in person, rather than online. The development of our children's brains is being thwarted by these electronic babysitters.