Teachers have noticed that students in the classroom are less capable of focusing compared to past generations. ADHD/ADD is a common diagnosis and blame has been placed on genetics, memories, sugar, drug use, bullying, alcohol, food dyes, and allergies. Could there be another cause?
Television and Video Games Blamed for Attention Problems
A study on the effects of technology on attention spans at Iowa State University, in Ames, Iowa has been published in the July issue of Pediatrics. The study did find a correlation between time spent watching television and playing video games and the ability to focus.
Researcher Edward Swing, a graduate student at Iowa State University, led the study which observed over 1,300 third, fourth, and fifth graders and 210 college students. Their classroom teachers ranked the elementary students over a period of 13 months. The college students had a one-time evaluation and self-reported.
Information used in the study came from three sources:
- Parents
- Students
- Teachers, (more than one)
Classroom teachers were noting the following behaviors:
- Problems staying on task
- Paying attention
- Interrupting peers while working
The results of the study stated that students watching television or playing video games for more than two hours a day risk having twice the rate of attention issues. The risk doubles.
Experts Speak Out on Linking Technology and Attention Problems
Dr. David Elkind, professor emeritus of child development at Tufts University, agrees that there probably is a correlation between the time spent watching television and attention problems. "There may well be a relation between television viewing and attention problems. But, teacher ratings of attention deficit have been shown in other studies not to be consistent over time. It makes a difference what kind of show or computer games the child is playing." [1]
Dr. Dimitri Christakis has also researched this topic and hails the Iowa State study as important. Christakis is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle. "This is an important finding. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is 10 times more common today than it was 20 years ago. Although it is clear that ADHD has a genetic basis, given that our genes have not changed appreciably in that timeframe, it is likely that there are environmental factors that are contributing to this rise." [1]
Why does technology affect the brain to such an extent? Christakis says, "You prime the mind to accept a fast pace. Real life doesn’t happen fast enough to keep your attention." [1]
Edward Swing Hopes to Further Study Attention Problems
Swing plans on researching further on attention spans hoping to get more details. Some of the likely variables could be the effect on the type of television shows watched (violence, action-packed), the type of games played, iPads, and elimination of the teacher observation component which is subjective and may not be consistent.
The Iowa State study is consistent with other studies that show attention problems with excessive media exposure. The American Academy of Pediatrics does set guidelines for parents on the levels of exposure to television and video games.
[1] Doheny, Kathleen. "Too Much Screen Time Can Threaten Attention Span," Yahoo News, July 5, 2010.
Barbara Pytel - Email me Experience Although I was never particularly fond of going to school as an ELL student, I ironically became a teacher, ...
