Digital Distractions
They are everywhere, digital distractions. They cannot be avoided unless you’re like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Wilson!
AI showed me some stats on kids and phones:
Adoption
- 53% of children have a smartphone by age 11, and over 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 have access to a cell phone.
Use during school
- 97% of kids aged 11–17 use their phones during school hours, and spend an average of 43 minutes on them.
Use at night
- Nearly 60% of kids use their phones overnight, spending an average of 20 minutes per night on them.
Notifications
- More than 50% of kids receive 237 notifications per day, and some receive as many as 4,500.
Screen time
- Social media like Instagram and Snapchat take up most screen time, at 32% during the school day.
School policy
- In 2019-20, 77% of schools prohibited non-academic use of cell phones during school hours.
Parental views
- 93.3% of parents feel they shouldn’t give their child a phone, but 71.4% of children of these parents still use one.
I had a chance to talk with Christine Miles, author of “What Is It Costing You Not To Listen” and a leading psychologist and founder of The Listening Path. She says the first couple months of school are the hardest because of the relaxed summer and increased usage of cell phones during the off months. Which, in my opinion, is another reason I feel we need to go to year-round school, but that is for another blog.
Some students can experience anxiety about the new school year, but an open conversation can help smooth out the transition for children and parents. She says setting simple, attainable goals can help make the process more manageable. Allowing the child to help make those goals can give them a feeling of responsibility and a heightened sense of accomplishment when those goals are met.
Miles said children only listen to 75% of what is said to them. Personally, that sounded high to me. Also, I would include adults in all these same statistics. I’m always surprised to drive down 169 and see how many drivers are on their phones. Way more are, than are not.
Here are some topics you can learn from Christine Miles on her website: thelisteningpath.
- The Power of Active Listening: Teaching parents to model the behavior they want to see by practicing active listening themselves.
- Setting Clear Expectations: How establishing simple, clear guidelines can help children understand what is being asked of them.
- Positive Reinforcement Techniques: Exploring the impact of praise and rewards in encouraging listening behaviors.
- Creating Engaging Routines: Tips for incorporating listening exercises into daily activities to make it fun and engaging.
- Understanding Developmental Stages: Insights into how children’s listening abilities evolve and what parents can do at each stage.
Miles says, “Listening is an act of love and a way to be kind and caring.” I couldn’t agree more.
And it’s a skill that can be learned at a young age and used the rest of your life to be a more engaged member of society.
Christine Miles was a pleasure to talk to, and I learned a lot that I will use as a parent, coworker, and friend.
She is also a field hockey 
player, which I thought was really cool!
