A local teacher launching a major initiative to get children off devices and back into life.
Avery Trace Middle School Teacher Ryan Dalton calls it Restoring Childhood. He said the idea was inspired by the book ‘Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt and the mental health issues correlated with excessive screen time. Dalton said he read that many kids spend upwards of seven hours a day on a screen, and just ten minutes on real world play.
“The tech companies literally design it so they’re addicted to these things, the scrolling and the dopamine rush that they get from this,” Dalton said. “So it’s not only those things that are impacting the mental health of the children, but it’s also the things they’re missing out on that real world play.”
Dalton said the book resonated with him because of his observations as a teacher and parent. The coommunity initiative will launch this August with a 16-week book study involving the entire community.
Dalton said kids overexposed to technology are more likely to consume age-inappropriate content. Dalton said real world play helps kids explore the world around them and learn problem solving skills.
Dalton said a lack of unstructured, unsupervised play has led to a less resilient generation of kids. Dalton said Haidt referenced a science experiment where trees were planted in a “bio-dome” but they fell over easily due to weak roots. Dalton said the trees had no need for strong roots since they were sheltered from wind and rain, and a parallel can be seen with today’s kids.
“We need that little bit of resistance, we need that little bit of struggle here and there to build us and make us stronger'” Dalton said. “And so that unstructured play that kids are missing out on these days, unstructured and unsupervised, is not allowing them to build those roots down deep. And that’s one of the reasons, as a metaphor, they’re falling over in the real world.”
Dalton said mental health challenges with children have skyrocketed with the boom of technology since 2010, Dalton said studies show the adoption and growing uses of cell phones and pocket sized, internet capable devices are a factor in the increase.
Dalton said there is hope amidst all of the problems technology has brought. Dalton said the Restoring Childhood initiative is not anti-technology, but people need to recognize unhealthy patterns with devices like cell phones. Dalton said people should also understand that these devices were created to be addictive, and they can alter dopamine reward systems.
“I think, where it comes down to it, you have to look in your kids lives and in your own life and say like, ‘Am I using this as a tool to make my life better, or is this thing using me and is it actually making my life worse?'” Dalton said. “And I think that’s the thing. And then you can just start limiting here and there and just reducing screen time.”
Dalton said the most effective way to break out of unhealthy cycles is community participation. Dalton said he challenges people to either attend the Restoring Childhood initiative study or start one in an effort to positively change lives in the community.
