Sir, – Further to the photograph on the front page (March 13th), at a time when surveys state that speech development and social skills of children are declining, primarily due to technology overload, is it wise to give iPads to primary schoolchildren? Many of the leading primary schools in the US have removed computers or tablets from the classroom. Advocates for the removal of electronic devices from the classroom believe they inhibit attention spans and, most importantly, they inhibit human interaction.
As a parent, I despair at the lack of social skills many young people have. Many children no longer look people in the eye, preferring to fiddle with technology rather than have a conversation. If you want happy children who have a deeper understanding and learning ability, but most importantly have social skills, then let’s follow the example of the top schools in the US, and stick with “chalk and talk”. – Yours, etc,
JOHN DEVLIN,
Dublin 2.