More and more, our society is recognizing the toxic side of smartphones. Our attention spans are shorter. Our politics are more polarized. Our teenagers are suffering from a mental health crisis.
One way to address the issue is to kick smartphones out of elementary and high school classrooms where they are now ubiquitous. Roughly a decade ago, educators integrated tech into their classrooms to empower students to use modern tools. But research now shows that kids learn less with phones nearby. Also, things can get ugly when social lives orbit around devices.
Sachin Maharaj, an education professor at the University of Ottawa, wrote a fascinating essay for Maclean’s annual edition of the Year Ahead about how a growing number of school boards are restricting students’ smartphone use—and quickly seeing positive results. Teachers are experimenting with smartphone-free classrooms and even smartphone-free schoolyards.
It’s a trend Maharaj expects to see more of in the year to come–one of many trends outlined in Maclean’s Year Ahead issue that predicts what we can expect in 2024 in climate, housing, technology, culture and medicine, among other topics. It’s a must-read edition and your roadmap to the future.
—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief
