Day 66 (of 2025/26) 3+ news stories to know in education: new screen battle – mirrors! At least now those cheaters using contacts won’t be enabled 🙄; leaning in where others ban;
But first – different screens as distractions:
- https://apple.news/ApNncH_RgTMeE2Wg8hSz2Ug while many focus on banning and limiting tech equalizers like personal screens and AI, it is nice to see some experiments ‘leaning in’ and seeing what happens when some of these collaborations are emphasized! Good job Stanford!
- Mindful use… this is the superpower with tech, this article forgets that paper and pencils are likewise ‘distraction devices’ when off for the purpose… and indeed, sometimes, a distraction is necessary to get better focused… I agree with https://apple.news/AqSdUidTbTAW1bVVSSUSkeQ that education needs to do better with AI than it did by trying to just ban and ignore personal screens… OR we admit and focus on schools as places of learning… just not learning that relates to the real worked and lived experiences outside of the 9-3 institution.
- Oz teens going without social media… countdown is on to see what ways kids figure out as workarounds: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/29/australia/australia-social-media-ban-intl-hnk-dst not exactly mad at this as a gradual guided approach to the socials would be better than diving into the deep end – Australia press conference: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSfvLDt4C/ Though I’m also encouraging a unit of social media in our English Language Arts New Media course to help support students… good timing as our district Health Committee also got a presentation on Child and Youth Screen Use:
- Looking at the health impacts of screen use, including the 24 hour movement guidelines
- Data and surveillance around screen use
Screens in the News are largely negative. Scoping the issue included Screen Time: looking at time spent with any screen, including smart phones, tablets, television, videogamesv, computers or wearable technology
Digital Media: content transcribed over the internet of computer networks on all devices, unless particular ones are specified.
Q: did the scan differentiate creating vs consuming via the screen
Q: did the look isolate old skills on devices (eg ebooks) vs new skills and if there was a difference in those on health (eg using calming apps/sounds and accessing supports that previously were out of reach (eg online tutor)
BC screen time guidelines:
0—2 no screen time
2-5 limit to under one hour / day
5-12 limit to 2 hours/ day
13-17 to 2 hours/day
Q I don’t think I ever met that screen time guideline from decades ago – what are some the key takeaways that may be connected between “communal experiences” (eg many watching Disney on Sunday Nights) vs “personal experiences”
Screen time and well being – Q: did the survey include considerations around well being being influenced by environmental collapse; violence in schools (US media shares) that align with the time frame being presented in the graph share; what about looking at the reasons WHY youth are turning to screens (racism/sexism/ trying to find community)
Social media vs screen use for creation?
q g11s
Only 51% sharing that they are viewing more than 2 hours a day… 34% in g4 to 51% in G8
More time on games/viewing, less time chatting with friends via screen
44% of qathet students spending more than 2 hours/day playing video games – gives good credibility into helping use this as a unit of literature to highlight the sense of story that this media provides
Same % spending more than 2 hours/day viewing streaming content/tv
21% spending more than 2 hours using screens to text/chat with friends; 2024/25 an increase in the number ‘never’ connecting online – hopefully in real life Q: did this also factor in how many weren’t connecting online AND did not have connections in real life
Screen Use and Sleep – 50% use screens ‘often or very often’ before bed. Like the paper tablet distractions before the screen tablets, meant many students stayed up later.
Can we assume that this means that when we add the combos a majority of students are on screens about 8 hours/day?
Time in Nature – higher number spending 3-5 or 6-7 days per week spending time in nature; 11% saying no days
Interesting trend: decrease in youth using phone to watch pornography. I thought online gambling was going to be higher (3%).
Of course the higher the income bracket, the more compliant to the screen time guidelines… achievement and equity – screen use but what about food, housing, and resource availability.
Promoting the 4 Cs
Communicate – have regular open conversations – be curious
Content – what are they choosing to do/use
Calm – how does child calm down to go to sleep
Crowding Out – what are we adding back in <— really glad to hear/see this as when taking something away, a substitution ought to be provided; talk about balancing lives <— my frustration is that a lot of the activities have been challenging in communities: because of the need for supervision eg hanging our and playing outside… and even playing sports with other kids becomes very prescriptive of late.
Sarcasm Font: always good for schools to focus on banning the most disruptive personalizing tool to impact education rather than approach it with strategies to leverage its success… worked great for Blockbuster when they ignored Netflix…
Glad it was declared that ‘we’ need to help youth with desired connections.
Technolandy 
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