Community Magazine June 2016

T hat is a question with a not-so-simple answer. Current research shows that parents may have reason to worry and certainly need to be vigilant about their children’s usage. A 2012 Neilson survey revealed that the average teen sends more than three thousand texts a month – about seven an hour. Even more disconcerting: The Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average child spends about as much time in front of a screen on a daily basis as they do sitting in a classroom. More than ninety percent of children have all-day access to a digital screen. It is the effect of these habits that have so many parents, educators and medical professionals, nervous. Experts say that in some extreme cases, children’s sleep cycles are disrupted; their attention spans are off-kilter, they miss homework deadlines, they become bullies or the recipient of bullying, and can’t communicate maturely – all because they are so consumed with their mobile devices. Children and their devices have become inseparable. One study from the Pew Research Center’s Report brought down that three quarters of preteens and teenagers sleep all night with their cell phones under their pillow. The presumed purpose of this is to not miss calls, emails or texts received overnight, a form of addictive behaviour that is more than just a bad habit. In the hours of the night meant for sleep, kids are still awaiting calls and messages. They never truly unplug. It gets worse: The National Academy of Sciences says that using phones at night could severely disrupt sleep. That’s right, severely. Another study found that using a smartphone at night reduces the next day’s productivity. All-night radio waves emitting from the phones could result in children’s diminished ability to think clearly. In light of these and other studies, some countries – including Belgium, France and India – have passed laws that require wireless devices to have warnings for children. And in our community one prominent educator has implored parents to spot the warning signs of a generation tethered to their digital devices. CONCERNED EDUCATORS Rabbi Meyer Yedid of Yeshivat Derech Eres recently addressed its elementary school parent body on March 22, at Kol Yaakov. He spoke with urgency of the negative effects smartphones have in children, included cyberbullying, deteriorating communication skills, and academic performance. DAVE GORDON THE CONCERNS of Experts and Educators ? Are smartphones benefiting children, or hindering their ability to function? 28 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE