I must admit to you that I stare at my smartphone way too much. It’s almost automatic to grab it and check Facebook or to look at Pinterest or read my emails. And every once in a while, I think that it’s time for me to back off. I don’t need to spend my life staring down at my smartphone. Now, in my defense, at least I don’t have television at home, so that’s one less screen trying to grab my attention. But it’s almost like I’m incapable of dealing with wait time anymore. I’m kind of worried that this constant phone checking is turning my brain to mush.
If my brain is mushy, what is the constant screen time doing to students’ minds? According to this blog post from The New York Times, children are in front of screens so frequently that they’re losing the ability to self-soothe and are lacking time to deal with anxieties and to learn social intelligence. How will children be team players in the workforce without social intelligence?
Do you notice screen addiction affecting students in your class?