American Students - Without Textbooks and Dumber than Their Parents 0 31

17 states in the U.S. have introduced restrictions on the use of mobile phones in schools. In a less strict form, these measures are supported in 75% of American schools, but everyone acknowledges that this is just a drop in the ocean in the attempt to overcome the established negative trend. A catastrophe has already occurred, as noted in his report to the Senate by neurobiologist Jared Kuni Horvat. The question is what conclusions will be drawn and whether there will be enough time to rectify the situation.

It all began in 2002 when Maine Governor Angus King launched a program to distribute tablets and laptops to students. The gadgets provided quick access to information, which was positioned as a powerful impetus for self-learning. The initiative was well-received by officials, and by 2024, the U.S. had already spent $30 billion on these goals. Schools received a vast number of mobile computers, while the companies producing them saw proportional revenues. They openly lobbied for this program and offered discounts on equipment purchases for educational institutions.

The first alarm was sounded in 2017 when it became clear that test scores in Maine's public schools had not improved over 15 years of implementing the technological initiative. The then-governor, Paul LePage, called the program a "huge failure," but it was already too late. Changing the school curriculum and the system as a whole is possible and necessary, but there is a more important question. A whole generation of students has grown up and come of age, whose cognitive abilities raise many questions.

As Horvat explains, a decline in education levels is not a problem in itself. What is much more important is to possess critical thinking, the ability to analyze situations, and find solutions not only to pressing but also to global issues. Simply put, to think and act — and these skills are lagging behind in the youth that has grown up.

This is already simply because most mobile applications, social networks, and services are initially built on a different principle. They offer extremely simple manipulations to achieve results and emotional rewards, making a person increasingly become a "user" and comply with the proposed conditions. Business needs consumers, so it directs efforts to form stable habits in clients, encouraging them to spend as much time as possible in applications — likely without benefit to them, but with benefit to the business.

However, as Horvat also notes, the situation is still better than it may seem at first glance. There is an understanding of the problem, the ways to combat it are clear, and there are still reserves for correcting what has happened. Yes, humanity is facing difficult times, and a certain regression in development is not excluded. On the other hand, such occurrences have happened before in history, and not just once. What has happened should be perceived as a large failed pedagogical experiment, and young people should not be blamed for becoming its victims.