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| The impact of parents talking to their children - scrolling through e-mails, checking the football scores, ordering on Amazon, and catching up on Twitter - is leaving kids unable to speak properly. File photo, Image by: Thinkstock |
by Tristram Hunt, ©The Daily Telegraph, timeslive.co.za (South Africa),
6 August, 2015
"Smartphones are psychologically addictive, encourage narcissistic tendencies and should come with a health warning."
That was the conclusion of a study at the University of Derby in the UK, which highlighted the disturbing downside to our digital obsession.
But it could be even worse than that. Smartphone addiction could be damaging educational standards and exacerbating inequality. Digital technology is now an everyday component of classroom and community, but we need to think much smarter about its long-term impact.
As Britain's shadow Education Secretary, I have a recurring conversation in the schools I visit. Primary head teachers explain to me the challenge they face in getting their pupils up to the relevant level of progress. In particular, more children are presenting with serious difficulties when it comes to speech and language.
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