The Digital Dilemma: How Smartphones Affect Student Learning
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Smartphones are ubiquitous today. By the age of 12 or 13 at the latest, nearly everyone owns one. While the use of technology seems second nature to young people, it raises concerns from an educational standpoint. Research shows that the amount of time children and adolescents spend in front of screens negatively impacts their academic performance. This presentation will discuss the findings of two meta-analyses that specifically examine the effects of smartphones on educational processes. First, it will explore whether the so-called “brain drain” effect exists—where simply having a smartphone present can negatively affect attention and learning outcomes. Second, it will investigate whether the smartphone bans currently being debated worldwide could have a positive impact in schools.