Cognitive Neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams Highlights The Damaging Effects Of Screen Time On Students' Brains

Using mobile gadgets and other digital technology has become an inevitable part of modern life, and students are no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the further rise of remote learning, and many educational institutions are now using devices such as tablets and laptops as part of their regular instruction programs. 

While using digital devices is often hailed as a more modern way to teach students, cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams is raising the alarm about the negative impact of extended use of devices on children's developing brains. He also believes that the way the educational system is set up is detrimental to how children optimally learn and that changes must be made to create a better learning environment for students.

Dr. Williams is the author of The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World, a book that tackles how the human brain's primitive drive to connect has had a huge influence on how humans behave and how societies are organized. While the brain has allowed humans to come together, it has also created division due to its tendency to categorize other people into either an in-group or an out-group. The in-group is a social group that a person psychologically identifies as being a member, while the out-group is the "other", or a group that isn't trusted.

According to Dr. Williams, the pandemic has majorly affected many young children's development, as the first 10 years of life are incredibly important in learning how to connect with other people. This is when children learn emotional regulation and empathy, and the social isolation caused by lockdowns and remote learning has disrupted their natural development cycle. While children can catch up on those missed years of development, the problem is that schools, where they are supposed to learn these social skills, are no longer able to teach them properly.

"Today, even at school, children are on devices most of the time," Dr. Williams says. "Being on a device means they’re not learning all those really critical skills that they need during those times. It also takes away the opportunity for children to play with each other. Play is very important for humans, regardless of age, as it helps relieve stress, boosts mental health, and strengthens social bonds."

Many schools today are also reliant on digital devices as the mode of instruction, not only through online learning but even inside the classroom. While some may believe that this is a natural evolution of education by adopting new technologies, Dr. Williams says that this is detrimental to students' mental development. He says studies show a correlation between extended screen time use in young children and abnormal development of brain white matter, including the corpus callosum. Another study shows that children learn better by reading from printed material compared to reading on screens. 

Furthermore, most educational apps maintain learners' interest through "gamifying" the learning process. While this is indeed effective in grabbing attention and keeping students engaged, Dr. Williams says that gamification uses intermittent reinforcement, which releases the pleasure hormone dopamine at scheduled intervals, affecting the brain the same way as gambling. He suggests that this could serve as a gateway to gambling addiction, which is a major social problem.

Thus, Dr. Williams believes that, for school to fulfill its role as a venue for proper mental and social development for children, certain changes must be made, including reducing screen time for students. He says that most schools in the developed world are not teaching things in a way that is best suited for the students' brains to absorb. Some of these deficiencies include classes starting too early in the day, or teachers assigning too much homework. According to Dr. Williams, some schools are now trying different models, including having academic lectures for only a couple of hours each day. For the rest of the day, students are free to do other interactive and physical activities, including playtime, that help them apply what they've learned. This actually helps students to retain the lessons better and makes them more motivated to go to school.

Dr. Williams says that the in-group versus out-group dynamic also applies to student-teacher interactions in school, and it plays a huge role in whether a student learns what is being taught.

"The teacher has to be a member of the student's in-group, otherwise they won’t learn properly. There are studies showing that students learn better from teachers that they trust. On the other hand, if the teacher is not trusted by the students, then they aren't able to learn much, regardless of how knowledgeable the teacher is," he says.

Dr. Williams adds that the use of devices, such as tablets and laptops, during class creates an additional barrier between the student and the teacher, making it harder to form a social connection and reducing the effectiveness of teaching. 

"Given recent exposes on how social media algorithms are increasing political polarization and prejudice, it’s obvious how increased use of digital devices has a significant negative effect on our mental health and students’ capacity to learn. Unfortunately, the authorities are doing nothing to stop this. I believe it is part of my mission as a neuroscientist to raise awareness of how excessive use of gadgets and social media can be detrimental to our well-being, especially to young students, whose brains are still developing."

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