Electronics and Education

“There seems to be a direct conflict between the advocates of (technology) in early years education, on the one hand, and the warnings arising from studies in paediatric medicine and biology, on the other.”  --Aric Sigman, health advisor to the European Parliament’s Quality of Childhood Group on the Impact of Screen Media on Children.

The over-use and misuse of electronics is today the single greatest threat to children’s physical, cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral and spiritual development!  (Note the bold type and exclamation mark.  After more than 35-years of practice in Child Psychiatry, I try not to mince words.)

Statistics from 2011 estimated that the average school-age child spent 8-hours of each day in front of a screen.  This statistic is already obsolete.  Since 2011, there has been an explosion of iPhone technology and availability.  Also, since that time, there has been wide-spread distribution and use of computers in the classrooms.

The research is there.  Anything you do for more than 8-hours-a-day changes the brain’s wiring and physiology, especially if you have a young and growing brain.  Anything you do for more than 8-hours-a-day takes away from something else you could or should be doing, like exercising, playing outdoors, reading a book, or sleeping. 

On Wednesday July 18^th, 2018, all the major national newscasts carried the story that researchers at USC, in a study of 2500 youths, found that the excessive use of electronics can lead to symptoms of ADHD.  Since that story I have listened, but not heard any significant outcry from parents or educators.  Despite the evidence and warnings to the contrary, schools continue handing out computers to students as early as Kindergarten.  I know that in this day-and-age, in order to be competitive in the work force, kids have to come out of school with good technologic and computer skills.  I get it.  But Kindergartners?

I have tried to ask school administrators some basic questions.  I just want to know, from their perspective, what is the ‘right’ age to introduce electronics into the curriculum, based upon what?  What is the evidence that electronics enhance learning?  What is the contrary evidence?  What is the industry sponsored ‘evidence’?  What does the independent research show?  I have received no answers, just silence.

Given the lack of response, pretending now I am the school administrator, I have come up with my own guidelines.  Computers should be introduced into the classroom only after the following skills are demonstrated:

·         Reading skills that include the ability to read and comprehend early chapter books

·         Writing skills that include the ability to formulate and write a linear thought in a paragraph, using at least three sentences

·         Mastery of basic arithmetic including adding, subtracting, multiplication and division

For most students these skills should be obtained by or during the 4^th grade.  Please, for God’s sake, no computers in Kindergarten! 

What should parents do?  Speak out.  Use the power of the PTO’s to express parental concern. Ask administrators the important questions. Insist upon thoughtful answers. Make ‘electronics’ an issue to be addressed by school board candidates.  Advocate for well-rounded education, by advocating for quality programs in music, art, theater, sports, etc.  Take a stand.  It will make a difference.