Toss it out?

I listened with interest to a Podcast over the holiday period that consisted of a seemingly well-researched gentleman in conversation with a regular host on the evils of digital devices for our children. The heart of the argument was that devices are addictive therefore we should not allow our kids anywhere near them and should just throw them away. I find it amazing that such a narrow view could be so heartily accepted.

The fact that kids want to use devices is not unusual nor is it surprising. Adults do also. In fact, there are a lot of things we regularly hear about that are adverse to our health (TV, Netflix, warm baths, wine, coffee, Bali etc) that also seem to entail a level of "addiction" that we don't seem as concerned about. It seems that the idea of good parenting and moderation was missing from the argument (it was amusing to hear that the researcher's own children think he is crazy and despise his no-tech stance). Articles I have shared here focus unashamedly on the positive benefits and potential of using technology, but there have been many that caution and provide advice about how to best manage devices in the home also. The idea that we should get rid of devices and take them away from our children period is not an idea rooted in the reality of life in the 21st Century. The genie is out of the bottle. Our opportunity to guide young people in the responsible, purposeful use of technology to enhance their learning and potential for future career prospects is so important.

Every aspect of what we do and the way we live, travel, work, communicate and experience life is being shaped by technological tools - whether we like it or not. A fondness for and desire to return to the good 'ol days is not helping our kids who's future is not in our past. The reality is they need guidance on how to manage devices (and multiple devices) now rather than the day they go to further education at University or TAFE or to the workforce where they undoubtedly will need more ICT savvy that any previous generation.

Meanwhile, an international expert on smartphone use among young people warns the NSW government’s ban on phones in primary schools may pose new challenges for students when they leave school.

Candice Odgers, a professor of psychological science at the University of California Irvine, said phone prohibition had proven controversial among teachers and parents around the world, with parents often opposed to bans.

“They’re concerned about smartphone use but don’t want to be disconnected from their children. Many schools are also looking at the creative integration of devices into the classroom … using it as a tool to explore," she said at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

“And one of the 21st century skills is going to be multitasking. If we ban devices for kids [in schools] and they go into a college environment, they’re going to have to manage that.

“It’s likely that we don’t need to develop all-new strategies for dealing with devices, many of the things that work offline are likely to work online, such as developing good communication and social skills.”

“We’ve found that inattention comes first, especially for high-risk kids," Professor Odgers said. "They experience inattention and then seek the phone.

“One of the [other] interesting things in mobile device use is everyone reports they’re addicted to their phones, parents, adults … but it doesn’t really fit into the definition of addiction in terms of impairing lives.”

Professor Odgers said smartphone use has also been found to cause less impact on mental health than things such as wearing glasses or being left-handed.

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Professor Odgers said concerns about the time young people were spending on devices could also be distracting from bigger issues such as data privacy, cyber security and online marketing targeted at young users.