Starting in September, students will have to return their smart devices to school before classes start. Clinical psychologist Melinda Hal, head of research at the Learning Research Institute, told hirado.hu why smartphone use in school is harmful and how limiting smartphone use can help children learn and maintain their mental health.
According to Melinda Hal, there are clear scientific and psychological reasons for limiting the use of smartphones in schools. According to the specialist, inappropriate and excessive use of the devices has a negative impact on cognitive abilities.
“Students’ attention has dropped significantly, meaning the amount of time a child can devote to the curriculum has drastically decreased. We also see a decline in language use. This is a big problem because language and thinking develop simultaneously. Logical lines and symbolic thinking help to find one’s way in the world. In addition, text comprehension is also declining rapidly.”
Competency surveys have shown that this drastic deterioration begins when the average Hungarian student receives a smartphone. In Hungary, this can happen around the fifth grade of primary school, the time when the age of change in children’s lives begins.
It is therefore particularly important that mobile phone use does not distract children’s attention at school,” said the clinical psychologist.
According to Melinda Hal, as children reach puberty and begin to experience hormonal changes, they develop closer relationships and, if they have smartphones, they become more active on social media. In addition, one can also observe the development of an addiction to smart devices among very young people.
The research director of the Learning Research Institute pointed out that the role of parents in this matter is crucial, since the government decree alone does not solve the entire problem.
The key is conscious education and continuous monitoring. However, this process can only work effectively if parents are aware of the illusions associated with smartphones.
“It is an illusion that our child is safe if he has a smartphone, especially at school. It is common for parents to call their child during school hours to ask if he has eaten his lunch. This kind of over-anxiety on the part of parents prevents children from developing their own conflict resolution strategies and feeling competent in certain matters,” says Melinda Hal, who believes it is important to highlight that the government decree is only about limiting personal screens, as they play a significant role. They cause a much higher than normal increase in dopamine (the happiness hormone) in students, thereby making all other educational activities more boring and uninteresting.
“The brains of adolescents are more strongly influenced by dopamine and, in the case of their addiction, even more strongly by the smart device than in mature brain structures. It is important to note that
Personal screens distract students not only while they are using them, but also when they are nearby.
Therefore, it is not enough to pack smart devices in the school bag, but it is necessary to collect them upon entering the institution and keep them under lock and key.” explained Melinda Hal, emphasizing that the attenuation of stimuli by private screens triggers completely different processes in the nervous system than when students look at a school projector during class.
“There is a trend in several schools for students to receive lessons or academic and performance-related assignments through social media. We urgently need to change this as we have the appropriate platforms for this and the Ministry of Education is constantly working on introducing similar technological achievements. It is extremely good that in addition to the teacher’s explanations, students are given visual and audio material and can watch together through a projector. This is a completely different process of the nervous system and indeed a learning tool, but the learning methodology is yet to be learned. The old and new methods must complement each other in modern educational systems,” said the clinical psychologist, adding that the results of global competency studies show that
The later children get their hands on smartphones, the better.
According to Melinda Hal, it is very important to communicate with children at the right level and to the right extent. If necessary, you can ask for help on how to talk to them about this topic.
Author: Tamás Untermayer / Source: hirado.hu
Photo: Pixabay
