tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/childrens-attention-18728/articlesChildren's attention – The Conversation2021-02-01T12:12:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1540362021-02-01T12:12:41Z2021-02-01T12:12:41ZTouchscreens may make toddlers more distractible – new three-year study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381123/original/file-20210128-23-techgb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C15%2C5168%2C3430&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/toddler-staring-tablet-education-gadget-dependency-770994562">riggleton/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Working from home as a parent, a touchscreen device can be a marvellous tool. Pass one to your child, and they’ll be quietly occupied for your Zoom meeting, or for the crunch time as you approach an important deadline. Yet touchscreens can also feel like a tradeoff for parents, who have long feared that screen time may be harmful for their childrens’ development.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81775-7">Our three-year study</a> following children from the age of one to three-and-a-half measured the link between touchscreen use and toddlers’ attention. For the first time, we were able to show that toddlers who used touchscreens were less able to avoid distractions when completing a task on a screen than toddlers with no or low daily touchscreen use. On the other hand, we found that toddlers with high daily touchscreen use were better able to spot flashy, attention-grabbing objects when they first appear on a screen.</p>
<p>These findings are important given the rising levels of screen time observed during COVID-19 national lockdowns. In the UK, for instance, <a href="https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/news/ep-researchers-find-that-uk-lockdown-linked-to-widening-disadvantage-gap-for-babies-and-toddlers">three in four parents have reported</a> that their children have spent more time watching TV or playing with a tablet during lockdowns. <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2020/uk-internet-use-surges">Individual adult screen time</a> also went up by an hour across the board during the UK’s spring lockdown.</p>
<p>Even before the pandemic, mobile media was already an integral part of family life. Some <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens/children-and-parents-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2019">63% of toddlers aged three to four</a> used a tablet at home in 2019 – more than double the percentage identified by similar research in 2013. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27531985/">In our previous studies</a>, we recorded daily touchscreen-device usage by children as young as six months of age.</p>
<h2>Toddlers on tablets</h2>
<p>Mobile touchscreen media, such as smartphones and tablets, are a common form of entertainment for infants and toddlers. But there has been growing concern that touchscreen use in toddlers may negatively affect the development of their attention. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young girl uses a touchscreen phone on a kitchen table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381185/original/file-20210128-13-3i84r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Young children are using touchscreen technology more than ever during lockdowns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-play-phone-cafe-during-waiting-299527919">Elena Stepanova/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first few years of life are critical for children to <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-085114">learn how to control their attention</a>, selecting relevant information from the environment while ignoring distractions. These early attention skills are known to promote later social and academic success – but until recently there was no empirical scientific evidence to suggest a negative impact of touchscreen use on attention control.</p>
<p>In 2015, we started the <a href="https://www.cinelabresearch.com/tablet-project">TABLET Project</a> at Birkbeck’s Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development to see whether any such association might exist. We followed 53 one-year-old infants who had different levels of touchscreen usage. We observed them through toddlerhood (18 months) and up to pre-school age (three-and-a-half years). </p>
<p>At each age, parents reported online how long their child spent using a touchscreen device (tablet, smartphone or touchscreen laptop) each day. Families also visited our <a href="http://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/babylab">Babylab</a> to complete a set of experimental assessments with the research team. This included some computer tasks which used an eye-tracker, enabling researchers to quantify very precisely what babies looked at on a screen. </p>
<p>By measuring how fast and how often toddlers looked at objects that appeared in different screen locations, we could understand how children controlled their attention. We were particularly interested in their “saliency-driven” attention (an automatic form of attention which allows us to react quickly to moving, bright or colourful objects) and their “goal-driven” attention (a voluntary form of attention that helps us focus on task-relevant things).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380990/original/file-20210127-13-1m2ruyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An example of what appears on screen when we measure toddlers’ attention. Illustrated by Ana Maria Portugal, researcher in the TABLET team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>After three years of data collection, we found that infants and toddlers with high touchscreen use had faster saliency-driven attention. This means they were quicker to spot new stimuli on the screen, like a cartoon lion which suddenly appears. This effect replicated and confirmed our findings in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2769281">a previous study in 2020</a>.</p>
<p>We then presented tasks that directly required toddlers to suppress their saliency-driven attention and instead use voluntary attention. We found that the children with higher touchscreen use were both slower to deliberately control their attention, and less able to ignore distracting objects when trying to focus their attention on a different target.</p>
<h2>Grabbing attention</h2>
<p>Our research is not conclusive and does not demonstrate a causal role of touchscreens. It could also be that more distractible children happen to be more attracted by and absorbed in the attention-grabbing features of interactive screens. </p>
<p>And, while touchscreens share similarities with TV, and video gaming, our new research finds different associations with attention than previously reported with these other media platforms. This suggests that touchscreens might produce different effects on the developing brain than other screens.</p>
<p>Next, we want to conduct further research which might help us draw conclusions about the positives and negatives of touchscreens for toddlers. For instance, while being faster at spotting a new stimulus on a screen may at first appear to be a negative finding, it’s easy to imagine vocations and situations in which this skill might be incredibly useful – such as air traffic control, or airport security screening. </p>
<p>In our increasingly complex audiovisual media environment, it might actually be useful to prime young children on the digital technologies they’ll use to learn, work, and play. But our findings also present a possible downside: that toddlers with high touchscreen use may find it harder to avoid distraction in busy settings like nursery classrooms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ana Maria Portugal received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:rb2246@bath.ac.uk">rb2246@bath.ac.uk</a> receives funding from Wellcome Trust. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Tim Smith receives funding from Leverhulme Trust, Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome, ESRC, and Bial. Professor Smith collaborates with Hopster TV.</span></em></p>Young children may find it harder to control their attention if they use touchscreens regularly.Ana Maria Portugal, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska InstitutetRachael Bedford, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of BathTim J. Smith, Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/774562017-05-18T00:54:59Z2017-05-18T00:54:59ZFidget toys aren’t just hype<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169815/original/file-20170517-2399-pt8l8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Balancing and doing tricks requires visual attention.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-teenager-spinning-fidget-spinner-device-641169160">ThamKC via shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>An updated version of this article was published on May 7, 2021. <a href="https://theconversation.com/popping-toys-the-latest-fidget-craze-might-reduce-stress-for-adults-and-children-alike-158746">Read it here</a>.</em></p>
<p>The fidget spinner craze has been <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fidget-spinner-craze-is-sweeping-the-u-s-but-some-schools-say-theyre-discractions/">sweeping elementary and middle schools</a>. As of May 17 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Toys-Games/zgbs/toys-and-games#1">every one of the top 10 best-selling toys on Amazon</a> was a form of the hand-held toy people can spin and do tricks with. Kids and parents are even making them for themselves using <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/glitchpudding/collections/fidget/page:1">3D printers</a> and other <a href="http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/107885/make-fidget-spinner">more homespun crafting techniques</a>.</p>
<p>But some teachers are <a href="http://time.com/money/4765188/fidget-spinners-ban-schools-classrooms-teachers/?xid=homepage">banning them from classrooms</a>. And <a href="http://time.com/money/4774133/fidget-spinners-adhd-anxiety-stress/">experts challenge the idea</a> that spinners are good for conditions like ADHD and anxiety. Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antsylabs/fidget-cube-a-vinyl-desk-toy">Kickstarter online fundraising campaign</a> for the Fidget Cube – another popular fidget toy in 2017 – raised an astounding US$6.4 million, and can be seen on the desks of hipsters and techies across the globe. </p>
<p>My research group has taken <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2971485.2971557">a deep look at how people use fidget items</a> over the last several years. What we found tells us that these items are not <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-fidget-spinner-fad-77140">a fad that will soon disappear</a>. Despite sometimes being an <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/05/14/527988954/whirring-purring-fidget-spinners-provide-entertainment-not-adhd-help">annoying distraction for others</a>, fidget items can have some practical uses for adults; our inquiry into their usefulness for children is underway.</p>
<h2>Understanding fidgeting</h2>
<p>Fidgeting didn’t start with the spinner craze. If you’ve ever clicked a ballpoint pen again and again, you’ve used a fidget item. As part of our work, we’ve asked people what items they like to fidget with and how and when they use them. (We’re <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com">compiling their answers online</a> and welcome <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com/submit">additional contributions</a>.)</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People fidget with everyday items such as paper clips.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/metal-paperclip-isolated-on-white-background-198562463">MaIII Themd via shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One thing people often report is that fidgeting with an object in the hand helps them to stay focused when doing a long task or sitting still and attentive in a long meeting. Many examples people have told us about are ready-to-hand objects like paper clips, USB thumb drives, headphone earbuds and sticky tape. But people also buy specialized items like a fidget spinner or a Fidget Cube for this purpose.</p>
<p>Another common thread involves people using some fidget objects – like a favorite smooth stone – to calm themselves down, helping them achieve a more relaxed, contemplative, even mindful state. </p>
<h2>Fine-tuning for focus</h2>
<p>Psychology research about sensation seeking tells us that people often seek to adjust their experiences and their environments so that they provide <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sensation-Seeking-Psychology-Revivals-Beyond-the-Optimal-Level-of-Arousal/Zuckerman/p/book/9781315755496">just the right level of stimulation</a>. Different people function well under different circumstances. Some people like total quiet to help them focus, while others are happiest working in a busy, noisy environment. </p>
<p>The optimal level of stimulation (or lack thereof) not only varies <a href="https://www.steelcase.com/insights/articles/quiet-ones/">among people</a> but even can change for one person throughout the day <a href="https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2015/07/noise-can-help-you-study/">depending upon what he or she is trying to do</a>. So people fine-tune their environments to get things just right: for example, <a href="https://www.15five.com/blog/getting-sht-done-in-an-open-office/">putting on headphones in a noisy office environment</a> to substitute less distracting noise.</p>
<p>A person who can’t get up and walk around to wake up a bit, or go have a nice cup of tea to calm down, may find it helpful to use a fidget item to get in the right frame of mind to stay focused and calm while staying put.</p>
<h2>What researchers say</h2>
<p>Our results align with <a href="https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/2014/11/fidgeting-strategies-for-kids-with-neurodevelopmental-disorders/">anecdotal accounts</a> about fidget toys helping children with attention or anxiety issues to stay focused and calm in the classroom. In fact, fidget toys have been <a href="https://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/8-fidget-toys">available for kids</a> for quite some time. </p>
<p>There hasn’t yet been a definitive study of the impact of these toys in the research world. In one <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ853381">preliminary study</a> looking at stress ball use, sixth graders who used these fidget toys during instruction independently reported that their “attitude, attention, writing abilities, and peer interaction improved.” </p>
<p>The closest significant research is UC Davis behavioral science professor Julie Schweitzer’s study of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2015.1044511">letting children with ADHD fidget</a> – wriggling, bouncing or otherwise moving gently in place – while they worked on a lab-based concentration task called the “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03192844">flanker paradigm</a>.” She found that more overall movement (measured using an accelerometer on the ankle) in children with ADHD did help them perform this cognitively demanding task.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s a big step from that finding to a claim that fidgeting with small objects in the hand can work, too. However, therapists tend to focus more on results than theoretical findings. They use what gets results and throw out what doesn’t, so practical experience suggests these toys may help kids.</p>
<h2>Avoiding distraction</h2>
<p>And yet, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-banned-from-top-high-schools-2017-5">schools are banning the spinners</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-are-being-banned-from-classrooms-2017-5">teachers are taking them away</a>. The reason is that not all fidget items are created equal.</p>
<p>The items that therapists recommend are primarily tactile – a user holds it in a hand and can manipulate it without looking. But fidget spinners require hand-eye coordination. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YHq9t05vKHA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The basics of using a fidget spinner.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHq9t05vKHA">To use a fidget spinner</a>, a person holds the center of the spinner with thumb and finger, and then uses the other hand (or other fingers on the same hand) to get the spinner rotating. Once it’s spinning, there are tricks to be explored, like balancing the rotating spinner on a thumb. </p>
<p>Balancing a moving object really requires keeping an eye on it, and doing tricks is a lot of what makes the spinners fun. It’s also what draws the eyes of the user away from the teacher, and likely also the eyes of nearby students. This is the bane of a teacher trying to keep a classroom focused.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Less spinning, more focus?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fidget-cube-stress-reliever-fingers-toy-634069979">idan gamliel via shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>By contrast, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-crazy-aarons-thinking-putty-0415-biz-20160414-story.html">putty</a>, stress balls and other therapeutic fidget items don’t have this visual attention problem. They can serve the same purpose as the spinners, but are more classroom-ready and less distracting. In the same way, the Kickstarted Fidget Cube, too, is probably also more classroom-friendly.</p>
<p>Fidget items do seem to serve a valuable purpose. There’s still science to be done, but they’re not just a fad. They embody an enduring phenomenon that nearly everyone uses at some point – just watch your own behavior when doing desk work or sitting in meetings. My research team continues to study fidgeting behavior and design, working to create next-generation smart fidget objects that support managing attention and keeping calm.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Isbister receives funding from Committee for Children, a nonprofit focused on teaching children social-emotional skills. </span></em></p>Fidget items can have practical uses that help people calm down and stay focused. The problem with spinners may be that they require visual attention, which can distract users and others nearby.Katherine Isbister, Professor of Computational Media, University of California, Santa CruzLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/459442015-08-13T01:29:56Z2015-08-13T01:29:56ZDon’t panic, the internet won’t rot children’s brains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91526/original/image-20150812-18088-10nsn1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dire predictions on the future of children’s brains are shocking, not least because of how flimsy the evidence is to support these views.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kwarz/13974382668/">zeitfaenger.at/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You know the deal: a social phenomenon rises from obscurity to international familiarity within the blink of an eye. Pitchforks are sharpened, torches lit, and higher thought goes out the window. <a href="http://othersociologist.tumblr.com/post/14900114577/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley’s hips</a>, the skin revealed by a bikini, <a href="https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-238178966/much-ado-about-harry-harry-potter-and-the-creation">Harry Potter’s sorcery</a> – you would think by now we’d have learnt to occasionally sit back and thoughtfully stroke our collective chin before writing the eulogy for humankind.</p>
<p>You’d be wrong: an editorial published in the BMJ today <a href="http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/august/technology.pdf">highlights one more example</a> of our societal knickers getting into almighty knot. </p>
<p>The editorial focuses on Professor Susan Greenfield, British scientist and high-profile commentator, who has been publicising the idea that internet use and video games have harmful effects on children’s brain and behavioural development. </p>
<p>Her views are so strident that her recent book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Change-digital-technologies-leaving/dp/1846044308">Mind Change: how digital technologies are leaving their mark on our brains</a>, draws deliberate parallels with climate change, arguing the two issues are of equal importance to our collective future. Greenfield’s dire predictions on the future of children’s brains are shocking, not least because of how flimsy the evidence is to support these views.</p>
<h2>The (lack of) evidence</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2011/aug/15/susan-greenfield-video">One claim</a> is that social networking media can negatively affect children’s sense of personal identity, and also how they develop empathy within friendships. Even more controversially, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug/06/research-autism-internet-susan-greenfield">Greenfield has drawn a link</a> between social media use and the development of autism.</p>
<p>However, a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23645343">large amount of research</a> in this area has found that adolescents’ use of social networking sites often enhances the quality of existing friendships. It has also been found that most adolescents actually <a href="http://pps.sagepub.com/content/7/3/203.short">portray their identity quite accurately</a> on Facebook.</p>
<p>What’s the big deal, you may ask, isn’t this just harmless theorising? I strongly disagree. The purported link between social media and autism, which is <a href="http://deevybee.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/open-letter-to-baroness-susan.html">without evidence and scientifically implausible</a>, is insulting at best, and breathtakingly stigmatising at worst.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/the-dark-side-of-social-media-baroness-susan-greenfield-says-social-media-is-rewiring-our-brains/story-fnjwnhzf-1227123736728">Another Greenfield claim</a> is that intense use of video games may lead kids to become aggressive and have shorter attention spans. Again, this view needs far more nuance than is being presented. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23519430">One recent review</a>, for instance, found playing action video games may actually provide a small improvement in cognitive abilities.</p>
<p>The evidence linking violent video games and aggression in kids is not clear-cut. Some studies have found the playing of violent video games can lead to small, short-term increases in aggressive thoughts and behaviours. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-video-games-corrupt-childhood-9479">questions have been raised</a> about the quality of this evidence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91529/original/image-20150812-18101-ezk9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The sacrifice of physical activity for more screen time is a real concern that’s in grave danger of being overshadowed by a hyperbolic discussion about how technology damages kids’ brains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58648496@N02/5380522396/">Lighttruth/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These particular studies also don’t consider the social benefits that can come with gaming. Playing video games isn’t the socially isolating experience that it once was, and the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf">friendships and social learning</a> of multiplayer gaming can also be very important.</p>
<p>This, of course, is not to downplay other concerns that may accompany the increased use of social media and video games among children. <a href="http://telethonkids.org.au/news-events/news-feed/2015/july/video-top-10-tips-for-cyber-safety/">Cyber-safety</a> and the <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1479-5868-8-98.pdf">sacrifice of physical activity</a> that accompanies more screen time are legitimate, evidence-based concerns with which parents need to engage. </p>
<p>But these important issues are in grave danger of being over-shadowed by a hyperbolic and evidence-light discussion that frames technology as damaging kids’ brains. There is little evidence for this view.</p>
<h2>Scientists and their responsibility</h2>
<p>Perhaps the biggest issue this kerfuffle raises in my mind concerns the responsibilities of scientists. </p>
<p>There’s no admission ceremony to become a scientist, no Hippocratic-like oath, no hand placed on a holy book while pledging to uphold this or that. There’s no need for any of this, because without following the fundamentals of science, you are, quite simply, not a scientist.</p>
<p>At the very core of science is the judgement of theories in light of available evidence. Scientists are humans. We have our own beliefs and prejudices, and at times it is near-on impossible to divorce ourselves from these. </p>
<p>That’s why the only kingmaker in science is evidence: objective, irrefutable observations. For every scientific theory proven through observations, there are dozens that lie shattered on the floor. And that’s how it should be. </p>
<p>Scientists can and should play a role in public discourse, particularly with issues of such importance as the impact of technology on children. At the very least, a scientist’s voice should – hopefully – add a dispassionate dimension to a very passionate debate.</p>
<p>There is currently little evidence that internet use and video games create “mind change” in kids. The only thing needed to change this position is evidence to the contrary.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/45944/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Whitehouse receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Autism Cooperative Research Centre. </span></em></p>Baseless claims about the damage done to kids’ development create needless panic. And they distract from legitimate, evidence-based concerns with which parents need to engage.Andrew Whitehouse, Winthrop Professor, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/444952015-07-17T10:17:28Z2015-07-17T10:17:28ZLet children move around, stand or walk in the classroom. You’ll see the difference<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88408/original/image-20150714-21728-1h1hmq5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why not let children stand and study?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/youbelonginlongmont/6955979583/in/photolist-bAFdot-bnLmrq-bnLhQW-qPZ9sD-qPZ9yv-qMGdu3-pTd5JZ-qPZ9xt-5b1NrV-tzbZYW-7QrxNC-5dsFUh-pXDMMV-61JGsc-dKTqiH-cDnEHW-oe5trh-pSZ7QE-qPZ9CD-qPUMjm-qPZ9Dv-qPZ9Gg-yQMEo-4J66tt-uw4cA1-qhJqVh-PgUqD-4QxVoG-at1Xmm-9ddrSa-89FwtD-br86US-6r39hb-92Rfvg-amMNGj-a5oF29-auPEkS-cwKZdo-bpZvVo-7qvHBL-7x2qL3-atB2VY-b73L1g-asH8ZA-5iPrjZ-tgVtg-52gJdC-9ueG3v-8Z4p83-hfh4wG">You Belong In Longmont</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The question of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidsturt/2015/01/13/is-sitting-the-new-smoking/">“is sitting the next smoking”</a> has been raised by many health experts in the past few months. <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/">Many ailments</a>, including diabetes and heart disease, are known to be connected to an inactive lifestyle.</p>
<p>However, most of this attention has been focused on adult office workers and the negative health impact of sitting at work all day. </p>
<p>But, if our waistlines and even our longevity are connected to how active we are each day, is it not important to teach our children how to be more active, from an early age?</p>
<p>During the past few years, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2015.1058093">many</a> <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/278732994_Reducing_children's_classroom_sitting_time_using_sit-to-stand_desks_findings_from_pilot_studies_in_UK_and_Australian_primary_schools">researchers</a> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103223">around</a> the world have been <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21421945">evaluating</a> the <a href="http://www.academia.edu/13751659/Choice_and_Voice_Teacher_and_Student_Perspectives_of_the_Use_of_Standing_Desks_in_a_Secondary_Classroom">use</a> of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15288906">standing</a> height desks instead of the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">more traditional</a> seated desks in school classrooms. </p>
<p>As director of the Ergonomics Center at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, I am constantly in corporate offices, K–12 classrooms and graduate classrooms where I teach. I also research better methods of classroom management and academic performance via health interventions. Ten years ago, while focusing primarily on adult office workers and the loss of non-exercise, physical movement in a work day, I wrote a book on the topic, <a href="https://thebackschool.net/store/products/suggested-reading/could-you-stand-to-lose-second-edition/">Could You Stand to Lose</a>?</p>
<h2>Standing in classrooms</h2>
<p>The idea came as we explored younger office workers’ health and noticed a lack of important postural habits, poor core strength and larger waistlines than what the older generations displayed when they entered the workforce. </p>
<p>It was at that time that we realized if we were going to affect the health of office workers, we would need to start much younger. Standing became a simple proxy for what we really need – more low-intensity, whole-body movement! </p>
<p>We asked, could we perform the same work while standing at a desk rather than always sitting at it? And we realized this type of change was possible. </p>
<p>We then turned our attention to adolescent health in classroom settings. </p>
<p>My team’s research in schools began in 2008, when we first looked at classroom movement as a way to deal with the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm">growing number</a> of obese children. In the past 30 years, obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents.</p>
<p>So, in 2008 we began installing and testing stand-biased desks for K–4 students to allow upright movement during instruction and self-work. </p>
<p>We started this work in College Station, Texas with elementary students to avoid the difficulty of measuring the Body Mass Index (BMI) in children experiencing puberty. During those years, the BMI fluctuates so rapidly that it is tough to follow an intervention. </p>
<h2>Encouraging movement</h2>
<p>From a few classrooms in one school to dozens of classrooms spread over many schools, we continuously upgraded our sample size and research methods. Over the past seven years, we have placed several thousand students at standing desks for our studies in both elementary and high school. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Standing desks encourage movement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/traffas/5619585646/in/photolist-9yzR2G-96PdKX-28jFN6-9hHpjg-egnPHK-5BmVWa-5BmqW8-eHxpq-9YQAyw-9YMGon-5BmW2X-9Wydai-65jcRz-qELRuT-91GpNY-8k1Ts1-eb3gXy-i6ycVY-9D3AFF-b2KyeM-fDKqKu-833tVt-69Y1V1-c2Z2mq-4s3WXA-9YQBAC-9YQBNW-a6Rv9-8xNBB5-4tNyE-9YMFoZ-9YMEVD-9YMFjD-9YQz1C-7aJgCx-7BLEJA-6vfV8p-4wuANX-ddyTuo-ddyS9Z-ddyTCU-ddyS7t-ddyTr7-5PV4Ny-7JJoKs-5VNaUZ-6jund9-7b29pF-dG573-bov2cY">aarontraffas</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Stand-biased desks allow students to sit (on a stool) or stand at will.</p>
<p>However, these products were a nonexistent category for mainstream school furniture vendors. So, we had to create our own designs based on teacher and student feedback. The market is now beginning to evolve worldwide as others weigh in with creative approaches such as standing tables for multiple students.</p>
<p>Classrooms with stand-biased desks are part of what we began to call an <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/9/9361">Activity Permissive Learning Environment (APLE)</a>, which means that teachers don’t tell children to “sit down,” “sit still,” or “don’t move around” during class.</p>
<p>Instead, they encourage movement such as standing, rocking, fidgeting and walking. Most traditional classrooms are lecture-style, with an instructor up front and students dealing with poorly fitting, hard plastic chairs for 80%–90% of their day.</p>
<h2>Impact of a standing desk</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/9/9361">Research</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00889">shows</a> that our bodies are so connected to our minds that our ability to focus on difficult cognitive tasks is directly linked to adequate physical activity.</p>
<p>In short, an active mind requires an active body.</p>
<p>Children become more restless and distracted with prolonged sitting. Active workstations <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">reduce</a> disruptive behavior problems and increase students’ attention by providing them with a different method for completing academic tasks and breaking up the monotony of seated work. Students were less distracted while working at a standing desk. </p>
<p>This was not all: the activity also led to more burned calories. After two years of exposure to activity-permissive learning environments, students showed decreases in <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html#percentile">Body Mass Index percentiles</a>.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">own research</a> shows that students K–12 given a stand-biased desk burned 15%–25% more calories than their peers in traditional seated desks.</p>
<p>As a result of these encouraging health numbers, we turned our attention to student comfort and posture. Again, we <a href="http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=35796#.VahC3RNVikp">observed improvements</a>
on both measures over traditional seated furniture. </p>
<p>In addition to increasing energy expenditure, we now see that activity-permissive learning environments help to reduce disruptive behavior and increase students’ academic potential. Based on the number of parents contacting us for help with students doing homework, it appears the process can work as well at home as in school. </p>
<h2>Future of classroom design</h2>
<p>The success of stand-biased desks is nothing new. </p>
<p>Benjamin Franklin had a patent on a standing school desk over 200 years ago, and Thomas Jefferson worked at one that he designed himself. Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Napoleon Bonaparte and even Donald Rumsfeld <a href="http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/07/05/become-a-stand-up-guy-the-history-benefits-and-use-of-standing-desks/">have all worked</a> at standing desks to create some of their most memorable work. </p>
<p>Although <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=16PSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA379&lpg=PA379&dq=us+worker+sedentary+time&source=bl&ots=FIkuZKAi9m&sig=HtBkqLIBuSajrNamYLvSctq7GcU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CF0Q6AEwB2oVChMI0dPc55nexgIVAy6ICh2BUgE2#v=onepage&q=us%20worker%20sedentary%20time&f=false">research and history</a> have shown that stand-biased desks have many favorable effects, most Western workers and students are still engaged in seated desk work for the majority of their day. </p>
<p>Our work in schools with thousands of K–12 students has included looking at stand-biased desks, exercise balls, several types of wobble stools and even swinging footrests and treadmills. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/278732994_Reducing_children's_classroom_sitting_time_using_sit-to-stand_desks_findings_from_pilot_studies_in_UK_and_Australian_primary_schools">Many</a> <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09613218.2015.1058093?journalCode=rbri20">other</a> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103223">researchers</a> around the world have also been examining the use of classroom design to alter physical activity patterns, with leadership coming from Australia, New Zealand and England. </p>
<p>Teachers around the globe want better classroom management, better student engagement and, ultimately, improved learning.</p>
<p>New approaches for addressing physical inactivity that are in harmony with children’s natural habits, tendencies and engagement could be the way to go.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Benden consults for several furniture related corporations and owns shares in the faculty led startup company, PositiveMotion LLC, He has multiple US Patents for furniture items and thru his job at Texas A&M has licensed several inventions to furniture companies. He received research funding from the CDC and the NIH for research mentioned in the article.</span></em></p>Aren’t there huge health benefits to staying physically active, for adults? Why should it be any different for children?Mark Benden, Associate Professor & Director of the Ergonomics Center, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.