Is Technology Bad? No. Can It Be Dangerous? Yes.
Among the many things I love about RDS is the fact that there is zero technology in the classrooms for children. Zero. Granted, our highest grade is kindergarten, but I know plenty of schools where
technology is used in four and five-year old classrooms.
Why is it that the tech titans do not allow their children to spend a lot of time around technology? MIT psychologist and professor Sherry Turkle says, “because those who spend the most time with
technology fully grasp its dark side. It is in these circles that people more often understand the damage smartphones, social media, and other forms of technology can do, especially to young minds.”
Tech moguls often send their own children to Waldorf schools that have zero technology through eighth grade. Psychologist and author Jane Healy’s research led to a book, “Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds and What We Can Do About It,” says computers should not be introduced until seventh grade. Theodore Roszak, history professor and author of “The Cult of Information,” would wait until high school.
For the past thirty years, researchers have studied how electronic devices are affecting children. Here are just a few of their findings:
Electronic devices, especially video games, are the childhood equivalent of adult addiction to gambling, pornography, and shopping.
Almost half (46%) of young people (ages 12-16) feel they are addicted to their smartphones (Digital Wellbeing 2020; The Cybersmile Foundation
As screen time increases academic performance decreases.
Electronic devices have a negative impact on brain development.
Electronic devices have a negative impact on social aptitude, including communication skills and interpersonal empathy.
Television and video games shorten attention span.
An eighth-grader's risk for depression jumps 27% when he or she frequently uses social media.
Teen suicide rate in the US now eclipses the homicide rate, with smartphones as the driving force.
Why were our founding fathers such good writers and thinkers when all they had was paper and a quill pen? Their penmanship was beautiful, and their ability to craft documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of independence underscores their brilliant minds. They were good conversationalists, good debaters, and avid readers. As I understand it, most read the Bible frequently.
As you think about matriculating to elementary school– whether public, classical, private Christian,
homeschool, or the university model hybrid-school, you should be clear on your convictions and align your school choice accordingly. Ask the school’s policies regarding cell phones. While this is important, the individual who has the most influence on a child’s use of technology is you, the parent. Re-examine your own habits and realize you are modeling and by modeling, you are teaching your tech priorities every day – especially with your phone.
I have an excellent book to recommend entitled “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids” by Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, one of the country’s foremost addiction experts. He spells out the dangers of our tech-driven world and cites evidence-based scientific studies to support his findings.
If you would like to reach out to Jeannie, you may email her at jbrostrand@redeemerdayschool.org.