School’s back, and so are the problems in the classroom. In an attempt to learn more about them, a person who goes online by the nickname Itwasobviouslyburke made a post on the subreddit r/AskTeachers that read, “What screams ‘I have unlimited screen time’ in students?” And she got plenty of replies. While nobody is denying that electronic devices can enhance learning, here are some of the red flags that educators believe suggest children should take it down a notch.
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“I, like many people these days, am constantly in awe of how quickly technology has advanced in my lifetime,” Itwasobviouslyburke told Bored Panda. “I’m 33, so as a child, I didn’t have a cellphone. The most techy thing I spent my time doing was personalizing my MySpace page and chatting with friends on AIM. Nowadays it’s rare to see anyone in public without some form of screen in hand. I get it, as I’ve found I’m pretty much addicted to ‘screen time’ in one form or another (much like most everyone) as well.”
These advancements pose significant challenges for the young ones, and the Redditor is witnessing them firsthand. “I’m a stepmom to an amazing 11-year-old boy, who received a smartphone at nine years old. He has age-appropriate restrictions and limits with his phone and tablet, but even still, I’ve noticed a direct correlation between screen use and his ability to pay attention and be involved during screen-free activities. He’s always been a very bright straight-A student; however, at the end of his last school year, his grades declined significantly.”
“His teacher specifically mentioned things like paying attention, staying on track, being responsible for remembering things, etc., and this prompted me to reach out to other teachers for their general consensus,” she added.
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“The most common answer I saw was regarding students’ inability to concentrate on any school activities not involving a screen,” she said. “Teachers said they have a hard time even paying attention to movies (which used to be a fun treat in class), as the constant ‘short-form content’ most of the kids are consuming at home makes it harder for them to stay engaged in longer-form content.”
“Another big one was the constant parroting of internet lingo and meme talk,” she noted. “One of the more interesting things some commenters had noted was a lot of their students who seemed to have unlimited screen time also had parents who usually don’t like to address problems going on at school, nor take them seriously. It’s as if the kids are now ruling the roost, so to speak.”
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The meta-analysis revealed that since the pandemic, the average screen time among children globally has gone up by 52%, and has reached a daily mean of 246 minutes of screen time per day (4.1 h/d) across all children and adolescents.
Of course, not all of it is evil. Researchers in Australia who studied the behaviors of 4,013 children identified several categories of screen time, including social, educational, passive, and interactive.
According to their paper, the type of screen time determines whether it has a positive or negative impact.
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Passive screen time — perhaps one of the more favored for anyone who likes to watch TV shows — is the least healthy form of screen time.
Another longitudinal study published at the end of 2020 looked at cognitive and emotional functioning in children over time, between ages 4 and 8, measured against their daily screen time. It found excessive screen time led to emotional dysregulation and negatively affected mathematics and literacy.
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“I don’t see a purpose for a student to need their smartphone in class (unless there’s a medical need, i.e. insulin levels or something),” she said. “Parents can always call the school to get ahold of their kids like we’ve done for decades.”
She’s not an abolitionist, though. “Technology in school is necessary to some degree as computer literacy is very important these days. Learning how to search for information on a specific subject, find sources to cite, navigate media literacy, etc. are all necessary these days,” the teacher further explained her stance.
But “I do think it’s unnecessary and harmful to give out Chromebooks to kindergartners (what a lot of teachers commented on as well) and wonder if there’s a good age/middle ground to start introducing these things in classrooms. Maybe 4th grade would be a better starting point?”
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“It’s so hard because I do appreciate being able to check on my student in real time via apps like PowerSchool, and I also like knowing he’s where he’s supposed to be as he shares his location with us,” the Redditor explained. “Either way, if kids spend ~50% or more on screens at school, to then come home and have screen time until they eventually fall asleep is a recipe for trouble.”
Also, even if the educators have good intentions on an individual level, systematic change can be hard to achieve. “I know teachers may share in their beliefs, but it seems like administration gets to call the shots in most cases and tend to appease the parents, not teachers and their wishes or observations.”
“I’m a dance teacher so it’s different, but I know teachers can never care more than the parents. You can spend all day trying to instill and maintain healthy habits, but if that’s not continued at home it’s essentially pointless (and frustrating)!”
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