Laptops in classrooms: A Threat to Children's Wellness and Education

Image - Vitaly Gariev

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The idea that laptops could be destroying our education and wellness is a scary notion-but a truth we have to face.

Now, I myself, am writing this piece whilst in class…on my laptop…very distracted. Just by looking around any school or university classroom you can see that students are on games, shopping or staring at a blank screen. Yet what if I were to tell you that this is fundamentally changing the way our brains process information. Studies across the USA and Europe show that laptops are harming children's ability to pay attention in class and exposing them to new levels of radiation. This is a disturbing thought. Are children being harmed by our education system? Do we need to rethink the way we learn in a new technological age?

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By undertaking some investigative journalism myself, i.e. asking my classmates what their opinions are on tablets and laptops in the classroom, the overwhelming majority said that they used to concentrate a lot better in high school, pre-pandemic, when we used paper and pen. If my generation are already feeling the negative effects of technology in education, who will save the next generation?

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Yet what is potentially scarier than laptops just being a distraction, is that, for our generation, laptops in the classroom are part of a wider global movement, which I am going to call ‘doomthinking’ (sort of a take on ‘doomscrolling’, if you will). For me, ‘doomthinking’, is the process of our declining critical thinking skills, paired with our over-reliance on technology.

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There is some evidence to suggest that ‘doomthinking’ is on the rise, that Gen Z are losing key critical thinking skills. Whilst this is part of a wider global shift towards daily technology use(social media, in particular, I believe is harmful to our brains), I contend that laptops in classrooms are directly contributing to this phenomenon. Part of the reason for this is that handwriting activates a broader network of brain regions involved in motor, sensory and cognitive processing. This means that using laptops could potentially be harming the way we learn and process information. If handwriting allows us to learn and process information better- then, by having laptops in the classroom, are we denying ourselves, and the younger generation an education in the name of technology?

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This to me, is exactly what my fellow classmates are describing to me (in a much less scientific manner). Many of us have noticed ourselves, this shift in learning and processing, feeling much less able to engage in lectures and to think for ourselves. For the generation below us, I have no doubt that this feeling will get stronger, and thus that schools should be a place to escape from the outside world of ‘doom thinking’.

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However, that is not to say that this is a completely universal experience. In fact, there is much evidence that laptops are useful for those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. A report conducted by the British Dyslexia Association, 'Using Technology to support dyslexic pupils', highlights that technology in the classroom allows pupils with dyslexia to read text, improve phonic and spelling skills, work more independently and boost self-esteem. Therefore, whilst technology could be harming many pupils cognitive functioning skills, this does not mean that they should be banned for everyone. Thus, a more individual approach may need to be taken to assess different children's needs and how best to support them throughout their education.

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My final point addresses the more pessimistic, doomsday part of me. I fear that ‘doomthinking’ is on the rise, and there is little sign of it slowing down. Without critical thinking skills, people are more susceptible to outside influence and misinformation. In an age where false news and propaganda is rife, this could be not only a threat to our education, but to democracy and world order as it stands.

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Maybe having laptops in schools and university classrooms won’t lead to World War 3; I think most of us can agree that many other factors are more likely than that, but it is a clear threat to what humans hold closest to our hearts- our intelligence. It’s what sets us apart from all other species, keeping us at the top of the rungs. Laptops, AI, and technology in general are making us feel more insecure as a human race.

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Therefore, in order to protect ourselves, and to allow our education and wellbeing to thrive, we need to take a serious look at our education system and its use of laptops in the classroom.