Screen time isn't all bad: Technology can make invaluable connections for students
In 2018, screen time and bad parenting are practically becoming synonyms. But banning children from using technology simply because a handful of Silicon Valley elite are doing so is a dangerous trend to follow.
A recent New York Times article issued a troubling warning: “It could happen that the children of poorer and middle-class parents will be raised by screens, while the children of Silicon Valley’s elite will be going back to wooden toys and the luxury of human interaction.” The digital divide, it claims, is operating in reverse.
That construct, however, wildly oversimplifies the complex phenomena unfolding in homes and classrooms. Here’s the dirty secret: you can bet that when the affluent families sending their children to tech-free Waldorf or Montessori schools think that new online learning experiences could pay off — exploring topics not taught in school like foreign languages or robotics — screens are hailed as portals to enrichment.