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2/7/2010 3:33 AM

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Observer-Reporter

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Some parents may be puzzled or annoyed by their children's obsessive attachment to their cell phones, video games and computers. Others might be confident that their offspring are preparing themselves for the future by learning to multitask and use the tools they'll need to succeed.

Some research suggests, however, that the inordinate amount of time young people spend these days on social networking and digital distractions may actually be harming their chances at success by interfering with concentration on schoolwork and inhibiting their ability to think.

This trend was the subject of "Digital Nation," an episode of the PBS news program, "Frontline," broadcast last week. (The 90-minute program can be viewed on www.pbs.org.) The obsessive social networking behavior is fairly new, and so is the research into it, but the preliminary findings are disturbing. Testing in both the classroom and laboratories, as well as brain scanning, is revealing that intelligent students at top universities like MIT and Stanford who think they are good at multitasking are actually quite bad at it; their comprehension of what is taught is poor, their attention spans are short, their ability to form clear thoughts and to follow lines of reasoning are weak, and they don't have the time, will or attention to read books.

It is wrong to characterize all students as digital addicts who are obsessive about staying connected with their friends every waking minute of their lives. But enough of them are to cause real worry about how academically prepared this generation will be for an increasingly competitive work environment, in this country and in the world.

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2 comments

harmful? : 2/7/2010
I lost interest already :)

tebo

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: 2/9/2010
What's funny is that you said parents, if these parents were so worried about it there is a simple solution, take the things away from them. Remember who is in charge, and who pays for these things. I feel sorry for this generation, they have no idea how to interact with people face to face, everything is done electronically. It's even worse with text messaging, kids don't even interact verbally.

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