Baroness Susan Greenfield on IT’s impacts on children
Notice from Chandra Easton
This coming Monday, 10 November (in Australia) on the ABC Q&A program,, presenter Tony Jones hosts a number of panelists. One in particular is internationally known neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster, Baroness Susan Greenfield.
For a foretaste of what might be discussed on the Q&A program see one of her earlier talks here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri4_CW9P41s&feature=youtu.be&t=10m6s&noredirect=1
The first part of her presentation deals with how the brain develops and the second part about children and overuse of IT and its impact of their ability to learn and also diminishing interpersonal skills. Points in the presentation include:
– Proper epidemiology is required to understand the changes in the brain
– Overuse of screens/IT world is damaging children’s ability to learn
– Autism spectrum is well suited to the IT world of isolation
– Reduced social interaction is the result
– Excessive twittering “” leads to compulsive, antisocial behavior
– IT overuses is fostering reduced empathy, social isolation, disconnect from ethics, principles
– IT “” develops knowledge “” this is not the same as integrated learning and understanding
– Books unfold sequentially “” this is the natural way of learning
– Googling accesses random knowledge in a random order
– Results in fragmented attention
– Reward seeking, addictive behaviour
– Pre frontal cortex damaged by heavy IT use
– Screens reward and excite
– Sensation trumps cognition
– Challenge is larger than climate change
– Mind change is exploiting our potential