How the smartphone affected an entire generation of kids

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Polga
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How the smartphone affected an entire generation of kids

Interesting article: How the smartphone affected an entire generation of kids

"As someone who researches generational differences, I find one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is “What generation am I in?”

If you were born before 1980, that’s a relatively easy question to answer: the Silent Generation was born between 1925 and 1945; baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964; Gen X followed (born between 1965 and 1979).

Next come millennials, born after 1980. But where do millennials end, and when does the next generation begin? Until recently, I (and many others) thought the last millennial birth year would be 1999 – today’s 18-year-olds.

However, that changed a few years ago, when I started to notice big shifts in teens’ behavior and attitudes in the yearly surveys of 11 million young people that I analyze for my research. Around 2010, teens started to spend their time much differently from the generations that preceded them. Then, around 2012, sudden shifts in their psychological well-being began to appear. Together, these changes pointed to a generational cutoff around 1995, which meant that the kids of this new, post-millennial generation were already in college.

These teens and young adults all have one thing in common: Their childhood or adolescence coincided with the rise of the smartphone."

Read more:

https://theconversation.com/how-the-smartphone-affected-an-entire-generation-of-kids-82477

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Beliwer
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Very good article, so I do

Very good article, so I do not want to buy my daughter a smartphone. My older son plays a lot on the computer, and since his favorite game is also available on the phone, he plays all the time :/

Goaliestu
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Hi,

As a teacher of 11-19 year olds it is abundantly clear how smartphones affect the kids. Low level disruption (chatting and off task behaviour) is rising. The smartphones are banned in school during lesson times, all of a sudden the children are forced out of their virtual world and are surrounded by their peers. They are then able to have human face to face contact which is healthy but now at an inappropriate time.

Lessons have to be planned in ever smaller chunks to hold their attention spans. Most of these kids are full digital addicts well before their brains have fully developed.

Polga
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Hi Goaliestu

Hi Goaliestu

It is good to hear that smartphones are banned in lesson times, but sad to hear about the effects it is having that you are noticing. thanks for sharing that information.

I would like  teaching professionals to be more visible in 'telling it like it is' about this. A national/international campaign of awareness to do with phones etc and what is acceptable in school. i would like to see smartphones banned from coming into school at all. A flip phone could be allowed but should be kept in a guarded locker through the school day with emergency access only. I would like to see all 1:1 digital media restircted except for technology lessons. Sure have a pc in the class for occasional referal.

We want self reliant kids that can conduct real relationships, not drones attached to a screen for support and validation.

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Goaliestu
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Hi Polga

Hi,

It is a real issue for me, as a digital addict myself, I can see the signs. I am running a campaign at the moment via the National Education Union to raise awareness and to get the dangers of digital addiction put into the PSHEE programs at schools. Currently we teach children about the dangers of their online footprint, social media use/abuse, cyberbullying and CEOP online protection but we don't tackle addiction. I would like to see gaming, smartphone and pornography addiction raised as issues with the children. Most of them don't know the signs of addiction until you tell them about it and how/when to get help.

Unortunately digital devices are sneaking into teaching and learning. If they were used responsibly they can be fantastic educational tools but sadly they are not. Phones are banned in lessons unless a teacher gives permission for them to be used for interactive quizzes etc. Its dangerous in my opinion and others but ours is a minority voice at the moment.

Stu

Polga
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Thanks for that information

Thanks for that information and very interesting too.

Most people are from the US here; now I see you are UK (like me)

All the best with your campaign.

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