Introduction
Few topics are as debatable as children’s and students’ use of smartphones. Many educators are worried that uncontrolled screen time negatively affects children’s performance, and there is a scientific basis behind this concern. In one of her publications in the International Journal of Educational Research, Otrel-Cass (2022) notes that up to 61% of young people under the age of 18 have their growing brain cells neurologically impacted by screen time (p. 1).
In the study “The Association between Screen Time and Attention in Children: A Systematic Review,” Santos et al. (2022) argue that many children struggle with maintaining focus and concentration on activities. All these concerns are understandable, yet the usual proposed solutions revolve around limiting screen time or even forbidding children from using smartphones. This approach is self-defeating because digital devices have become an entrenched aspect of modern society and are unlikely to be supplanted in the foreseeable future. Education should teach children to manage distractions instead of prohibiting smartphone use because the negative influence of smartphones is not conclusive; children need to use digital devices properly, and smartphones are not problematic themselves.
Concerns and the Inconclusive Nature of Current Research on Smartphone Harms
To change opponents’ viewpoints on the harms of smartphones, it is essential to address their most pressing concerns, the first of which is limited cognitive abilities due to screen time. Numerous researchers have suggested a correlation between school performance and smartphone use. The study “Pre-schoolers with high touchscreen use show reduced cognitive flexibility” by Portugal et al. (2022) observed that children with higher smartphone use had more difficulty solving complex tasks than those with less screen time.
Meanwhile, a similar study, “Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?” by Liebherr et al. (2020), has also reported that attributing poor performance to smartphone use is a recurring theme in scientific research. Yet, according to Liebherr et al. (2020), there is a notable lack of research on smartphones’ positive effects. The relationship between mobile devices and cognitive functions is inconclusive. This does not imply that such studies do not exist – the implication is that most authors exhibit researcher bias when exploring this issue. As a result, the common belief that smartphones have a negative influence is inconclusive, and education should adopt a more nuanced approach to using digital devices.
Distractions, Digital Addiction, and the Inevitability of Smartphones
The second concern expressed by educators and influencers is that excessive use of mobile devices leads to a limited ability to focus attention. Once again, there is a plethora of studies pointing out the correlation between screen time and the inability to focus on cognitive tasks, such as the study by Portugal et al. (2022). The reason behind focusing issues is evident—smartphones present a multitude of distractions at every moment of use. Children who are not able to control their behavior easily lose focus and become lost. This problem does not pertain exclusively to solving cognitive challenges, as any activity requiring concentration is affected. However, on closer inspection, it should be evident that screen time itself is not the issue.
The crux of the matter lies in the distractions provided by digital devices. Santos et al. (2022) actually identified a study that reported: “that children with more screen time performed better in an attention task” (p. 1). As is the case with cognitive functions, substantial research gaps are evident in the literature, which is another signal that educational assumptions about smartphones operate on a flawed basis. When designing a solution for how future education should address the use of smartphones, it is essential to understand an important aspect of real life: smartphones are an inevitable component. The subsequent implication is that both positive and negative consequences of screen time will remain and will likely become more prevalent.
Teaching Management as a Proposed Solution
Another systematic review, “Global prevalence of digital addiction in the general population,” by Meng et al. (2022), has ascertained that the global prevalence of different types of addiction, such as smartphones and social media, has increased. Digital addiction is dangerous, but the impulsive decision to prohibit smartphone use in education may create even more repercussions. First, the future world will require children to use digital technology, at which they may fail precisely because education did not prepare them for it. Second, instead of learning to see smartphones as valuable tools, prohibition may force children to associate digital devices with pleasure and escapism. As a consequence, education does not adequately prepare young people for the challenges and requirements of the future world, which will demand digital flexibility.
The proposed solution is to accept the negative aspects of screen time and design learning approaches around teaching children to manage them. Two important components need to be included: recognizing distractions and self-regulation. Spotting distractions is actually simple—it requires an ability to give an honest answer about whether a particular activity serves a specific purpose or detracts from it.
According to Professor of Psychology and Social Sciences Alexander J. Dontre (2021), prioritizing activities and ascertaining which information is essential are some of the most important academic skills. These skills do not require willpower, as processing information is a cognitive task. However, they cannot be accomplished consistently without discipline, and self-regulation can only be trained when distracting factors are present.
Yet, once a behavior is adequately managed, smartphones can actually become a positive tool. For instance, smartphones provide an interactive way to memorize and recall essential rules and words, as evidenced in the study “Use of smartphone applications in English language learning” by Kacetl and Klímová (2019). The learning potential of mobile devices is large and still unexplored, and therefore, it should be acknowledged by education.
Addressing Counterarguments
Naturally, there are several counterarguments regarding the importance of accepting smartphones on an educational level. The first one is simple—children are not mature enough to control themselves when using a digital device. Indeed, it is true that many young people are not sufficiently self-aware, but the reason they access TikTok instead of using Anki to study is the lack of discipline. Furthermore, Otrel-Cass (2022) explores the case of a Danish primary school that instituted a smartphone policy and delivered significant improvements in students’ performance because it taught students self-restraint.
The second counterargument is that encouraging smartphone use will make children’s lives more sedentary. Yet, smartphones are only one component of the large sphere of digital technology, which includes laptops, TV screens, stationary computers, tablets, and other devices that require their users to spend time in a static position. Conversely, as Tulasiram and Chandrasekaran (2021) argue in one of their publications in the Muscles, Ligaments & Tendons Journal, smartphones provide more opportunities for people to move because they are small and portable. Education should teach children the value of physical movement in a world that welcomes a sedentary lifestyle.
Another counterargument revolves around the concern that smartphone use leads to depression. The reasoning behind this is that despite the interconnected nature of the world, the rates of anxiety and loneliness are high. Again, it is not reasonable to argue with the studies that report worsening mental health statistics, as the study by Park et al. (2021) in Frontiers in Psychology does. Yet, the same study observes that for many participants, “the use of smartphones as a means of communication decreased negative emotions” (Park et al., 2021, p. 1). According to Jeong Hye Park, an Assistant Professor at Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology (2020), children feel negativity when browsing social networks because they lack the discipline to use smartphones for self-improvement.
The final counterargument is that smartphone use prevents socialization, as children become absorbed in their virtual space. However, online communities can fulfill users’ connection needs—an observation noted by Thulin et al. (2020) in their paper “Smartphones, Mediated Presence, and the Recoupling of Online Social Contact in Everyday Life.” Education should teach children that people are responsible for their emotions, not the smartphones they use.
Conclusion
Informational noise, an abundance of distractions, and the demand for digital flexibility necessitate appropriate education that encompasses modern mobile devices. Screen time is an inevitable component of life that has to be addressed. Instead of shifting the blame to smartphones, it is more feasible to show children the dangers of uncontrolled screen time. Learning to handle distractions is useful for using digital devices and is also a valuable skill that will help young people in their lives. Whereas most of the research is focused on highlighting the negative aspects of smartphones, uncovering their positive elements is no less significant.
Mobile devices provide an unprecedented ability to learn and absorb information from any place. Social networks allow people in different locations to connect and communicate instantly. Prohibiting children from using smartphones is a big mistake because it eliminates the prospect of learning and growth. It is crucial to find a balance between using and abusing mobile devices. Ultimately, educating children and students on smartphone use is vital because it will provide the foundation for their successful and healthy functioning in a future world filled with distractions.
References
Dontre, A. J. (2021). The influence of technology on academic distraction: A review. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(3), 379-390. Web.
Kacetl, J., & Klímová, B. (2019). Use of smartphone applications in English language learning—A challenge for foreign language education. Education Sciences, 9(3), 1-9. Web.
Liebherr, M., Schubert, P., Antons, S., Montag, C., & Brand, M. (2020). Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?-A review on the effects of smartphone usage on attention, inhibition, and working memory. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 1-8. Web.
Meng, S. Q., Cheng, J. L., Li, Y. Y., Yang, X. Q., Zheng, J. W., Chang, X. W., & Shi, J. (2022). Global prevalence of digital addiction in general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 92. Web.
Otrel-Cass, K. (2022). Presenting a students’ tale: The smartphone manifesto. International Journal of Educational Research, 114, 1-10. Web.
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Park, J. H. (2020). Smartphone use patterns of smartphone-dependent children. Child Health Nursing Research, 26(1), 47-54. Web.
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Santos, R. M. S., Mendes, C. G., Marques Miranda, D., & Romano-Silva, M. A. (2022). The association between screen time and attention in children: A systematic review. Developmental Neuropsychology, 1-18. Web.
Thulin, E., Vilhelmson, B., & Schwanen, T. (2020). Absent friends? Smartphones, mediated presence, and the recoupling of online social contact in everyday life. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 110(1), 166-183. Web.
Tulasiram, B., & Chandrasekaran, B. (2021). Are smartphones better in guiding physical activity among sedentary young adults? A randomised controlled trial. Muscles, Ligaments & Tendons Journal, 11(1), 83-91. Web.