Using mobile gadgets and other digital technology has become an inevitable part of modern life, and students are no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the further rise of remote learning, and many educational institutions are now using devices such as tablets and laptops as part of their regular instruction programs.
While using digital devices is often hailed as a more modern way to teach students, cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams is raising the alarm about the negative impact of extended use of devices on children's developing brains. He also believes that the way the educational system is set up is detrimental to how children optimally learn and that changes must be made to create a better learning environment for students.
Dr. Williams is the author of The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World, a book that tackles how the human brain's primitive drive to connect has had a huge influence on how humans behave and how societies are organized. While the brain has allowed humans to come together, it has also created division due to its tendency to categorize other people into either an in-group or an out-group. The in-group is a social group that a person psychologically identifies as being a member, while the out-group is the "other", or a group that isn't trusted.
According to Dr. Williams, the pandemic has majorly affected many young children's development, as the first 10 years of life are incredibly important in learning how to connect with other people. This is when children learn emotional regulation and empathy, and the social isolation caused by lockdowns and remote learning has disrupted their natural development cycle. While children can catch up on ...
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