CNN recently released a new poll showing again that teens have an unfortunate addiction to using their cellphones at all times of day. While it is unsurprising as a teacher to read about this (and probably unsurprising to the rest of the country as well), it is something to be wary of for the next generation. Probably the most important piece of research to come out of this article is something I have read a few times before:
The dopamine in our brains is stimulated by the unpredictability that social media, emails and texting provide.
Our brains crave unpredictability - it's not only a curiosity but also a biological fact. For tens of thousands of years the human brain developed while trying to stay alive through hunting, foraging, fighting off animals, and more. These situations are fraught with unpredictability and therefore exciting to the neuronal pathways.
As our development has continued, however, we have become creatures of comfort and routine - something that can help us put effort elsewhere but we need to consciously focus that effort into things like hobbies, activities, and interactions with other people. What teens tend to do (perhaps because of the easier access and a parent's desire for quiet) is use their phones. Social media use is the most pervasive things I see in the school in which I work and it scares me sometimes how connected some of these students need to be in order to feel comfortable or confident in themselves.
I have students tell me that I'm acting "too much" when I ask that their phones are put away during class yet the way I see it, they are not only losing the information from a class they need to graduate, but also losing the ability to focus their concentration on something, even if it's not as "entertaining" as they think.
I can only hope that if and when I become a parent that I am able to consistently retain this interpersonal interaction with my children and foster it amongst my community.
As our development has continued, however, we have become creatures of comfort and routine - something that can help us put effort elsewhere but we need to consciously focus that effort into things like hobbies, activities, and interactions with other people. What teens tend to do (perhaps because of the easier access and a parent's desire for quiet) is use their phones. Social media use is the most pervasive things I see in the school in which I work and it scares me sometimes how connected some of these students need to be in order to feel comfortable or confident in themselves.
I have students tell me that I'm acting "too much" when I ask that their phones are put away during class yet the way I see it, they are not only losing the information from a class they need to graduate, but also losing the ability to focus their concentration on something, even if it's not as "entertaining" as they think.
I can only hope that if and when I become a parent that I am able to consistently retain this interpersonal interaction with my children and foster it amongst my community.
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