A message from the Acting Head of Primary School
Dear Parents and Carers
Last week I wrote about the declining ability of children (and adults) to maintain attention for sustained periods of time - an important building block for executive functioning and learning. In my article last week, I wrote about the important role sleep plays in our children’s attention capacity at school. This week I am focusing on the impact of technology use and the attention abilities of our children.
Impact of Technology
Prolonged exposure to screens profoundly affects the executive functions of a child, particularly concentration and focus. Immersing young children in a digital world and exposing them to an abundance of stimulation places an excessive demand on their still-maturing executive functions. According to a 2017 study, this heightened stimulation leads to children experiencing an inability to focus, in a similar way to that commonly observed in children with ADHD. Consequently, the average young child becomes highly susceptible to distractions, compromising their ability to engage in long-term tasks.
Video games and short-form video content share the features of quickly-changing frames, immediate feedback and attractive visual stimuli. These features, along with the general format of quick information and entertainment, have all been correlated with a reduction in children’s attention, as children receive a dopamine reward while ingesting this content.
The effects of video games and short-term video content carry over to the classroom. The chasing of dopamine release combined with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex contributes to the shortening of available time and attention for the processing of academic content. For children to absorb academic information, they utilise both working and long-term memory. However, when a child’s attention capacity is reduced, it becomes increasingly difficult for students to absorb information, as long-term information processing requires maintenance and rehearsal.
Home tip
One of the key pieces of boundary setting in each home is the amount of technology time children have. It is vital to set clear boundaries and firmly stick to what you have set. This is particularly important throughout the long summer holiday break. Children who are allowed large amounts of daily technology time during the holidays find it very challenging to learn and pay attention when they return to school.
Kind regards
Mark Pressley
Acting Head of Primary School