I was recently asked to provide some background and advice on technology addiction for an article in the UAE national media. As ever, it always seems to come down to a combination of education, good parenting and a balanced lifestyle...
A 2017study
by Oxford University found when they compared teenagers’ wellbeing to screen
time, gadgets actually had a positive impact, provided they did not interfere
with their schoolwork or other activities.
The researchers found that wellbeing peaked at four hours and 17 minutes
for 15-year-olds, before starting to dip again.
Dr Pete Etchells, Senior Lecturer
in Biological Psychology at Bath Spa University, commented on the research:
"The study shows that certain levels of technology use may actually be
beneficial to children. Where negative effects do exist, these are in fact
quite weak, compared to other factors such as getting a decent night's
sleep which have previously been shown to have an influence on well-being.”
“Intelligent
use of computers can enhance the life of teenagers but overall they are
spending vastly too much time online. Real people,
real exercise, real environments and above all real relationships in the flesh,
are what young people need to develop into healthy adults.”
The
inescapable conclusion from this, and other research, is that a certain amount,
and the right type, of technology use, at the right time, is beneficial, and
indeed vital, for children’s development and prospects in a connected world.
The key is balance and educating our children, both in school and at home, and modelling
the behaviours necessary to leverage the benefits of technology within a
healthy, active and balanced lifestyle. At GEMS, all our schools provide
thorough Digital Citizenship education across the K-12 age range, and the
Common Sense Media programme ensures that parents are active partners in their
children’s development.
Even in the
age of an ever-evolving, technology-based school curriculum, it is a myth that
students are spending a lot of their time in schools glued to screens. In the
early years, most time is spent on play-based, practical and physical
activities, and tools such as Beebots and Cubetto are used extensively to teach
basic coding skills without the need for screen technology. For older students,
we are seeing more focus on practical ‘making’ rather than just working on
screens. Furthermore, a well-designed curriculum ensures a healthy balance
between technology use and the important areas of practical investigation,
outdoor activities, physical education and the creative arts. By instilling the
notion of balance in school, and working in partnership with parents to ensure
this is modelled consistently in the home, the overwhelming majority of
students are learning to live healthy and balanced lives, being very aware of
effective technology use and the dangers of, and routes to, addiction.
In the
home, children should not have access to any screen-based technology in the
hour before bedtime, as we know this has a serious impact on their sleep
patterns. We encourage our families to ensure their children are physically
active after school and that reading a book, light exercise, or playing traditional
board or card games are still the best pre-sleep activities. It is also
recommended that older students do not study right up to bedtime, rather they
should also ensure sufficient tech-free ‘wind-down’ time. If they are reading,
it should always be for pleasure! In my own family, we have established a
routine of walking our dogs before heading to bed with a good book. This also
provides a valuable opportunity to talk to our children, something which can
often be difficult at the dinner table! It will be different for every family,
of course, but the sooner a healthy and tech-free, bedtime routine can be
established, the better.
It is
important that parents set a good example for their children and demonstrate
that they themselves are not addicted to their technology. No technology at the
dinner table is an essential rule, and children should not have screens,
gadgets or a TV in their bedrooms. Parents are busy and may not always be able
to interact with their children, but if children see their parents glued to
their own phones rather than interacting with the family, this can be extremely
damaging. Parents hearing the phrase
“Mummy/Daddy, put your phone down!” should recognise that they need to change
their own behaviour for the benefit of their children. Establishing and modelling
positive behaviours and routines is critical to prevent technology addiction.
Where
addiction does occur, the key warning signs for teachers are students appearing
tired, withdrawn and irritable, most likely leading to a decline in performance
in their schoolwork. Similarly, parents may notice their children finding it
more difficult to get to sleep or get up in the morning, or becoming more
withdrawn or anxious (over and above that naturally expected of a teenager). There
may also be a very obvious shift over time in how a child is choosing to spend
his or her time outside of school. This can be prevented by establishing
healthy routines. Where parents suspects a child is suffering from technology
addiction, they should seek support from the school, where trained counsellors
are available to help. In very serious cases, the school can help to bring in
expert medical assistance. Again, however, the focus must be on prevention,
through comprehensive digital citizenship education, a close partnership
between school and home, a well-balanced curriculum and all adults modelling
the balanced lifestyle we wish our children to lead.
