by Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
Occasionally, we share articles in the eNews that we think are pertinent to supporting our MS students both at school and at home. This week a powerful post, by Benjamin Conlon, on the site “Wait until 8th,” titled “Middle School Misfortunes Then and Now, One Teacher’s Take,” reminded us about how social media and ubiquitous smart phones has impacted the life of young people in school today. The article compares life for a grade 7 student in 2008 vs 2018 to highlight the challenges that our children face with cameras and social media around at all turns.
Brian has an iPhone too. He takes it out and opens the Instagram app. The Brian from 2008 was wondering about his position in the social hierarchy. The Brian from 2018 knows. He can see it right there on the screen.
It’s a worthwhile read to better understand our children’s experience. It’s also highlights one of the main reasons we do not allow MS students access to their smartphones during the school day. I hope that you read it and consider your own discussions with your children about balance, about how they use their phones, about the value they assign to what other people think, and about how they might treat others who may be hurt by social media posts.
Of note: The “Wait Until 8th” site advocates to wait until children are in grade 8 (or age 14), before they are provided with smart phones.