Is Digital Technology Harming Our Students?
Barbara Rivera
AIU Online

Abstract
In a society so technologically developed with users that range from children through old age rises a debate on whether technology is helpful to students in school. Surveys have shown that students spend numerous hours focusing on digital devices to communicate and access social media. With the over use of digital technology comes negative effects that hinder a student’s ability to grasp and retain knowledge. Furthermore, there is evidence that they also suffer from physical effects. Some argue that the ease of access of information is beneficial to the students, but studies show that student don’t utilize digital media appropriately.

Is Digital Technology Harming Our Students?
In today’s fast pace moving society people enjoy the convenience of digital technology all around them. From wireless laptops at home to tablets and smartphones on the go people have access to instant information and the ability to connect instantly through social media and messaging. As society moves forward in an ever-changing and evolving world of technology there raises questions to the impact technology has in different settings (i.e. school, work, and home). There have been many debates on the issue of whether technology is helpful or a hindrance in schools. While there are some pros to technology in the classroom, one has to look at the cons closely as society in general is becoming overwhelmingly dependent on digital devices. The dependence on digital technology can lead to negative effects on people’s minds as well as their bodies.
While providing convenience, overuse of digital technology can lead to constant distraction causing lack of attention, which results in lack of retaining information, as well as affecting social behavior. First, cell phones, tablets, and laptops are commonplace amongst majority of society in personal lives as well as work and school. Thus, with the constant incoming texts, the frequent ping of a new Facebook post, or even the signal of a new e-mail students are continuously diverting their attention from class. This can lead to impatience, impulsiveness, and forgetfulness, sometimes referred to as digital distraction, which can affect a person’s ability to engage with one another. (Crossing the Digital Divide, 2015, p. 34). Furthermore, without the ability to properly engage with one another it stands to reason that a person would be less likely to focus on topics being discussed. Therefore, with the distractions that come with overuse of digital devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones a person’s brain is deprived of downtime to process information causing one to only retain small bits of information making learning and retention very shallow. (Crossing the Digital Divide, 2015, p. 34)
Along with lower retention, the reliance on technology can lead to what is referred to as digital dementia. Spitzer (2012) says the rapid switching between topics or between can impede the developing brain's ability to build up the neuron patterns used for long-term recall of specific subjects and for other complex cognitive skills. Thus, technology can lead to lateralization (imbalance) of the brain. While the left side, which is the rational or fact-finding side, develops while the right side, which controls imagination and emotions, suffer leading to damage that can affect concentration and cause short attention, and emotional disturbances. These are similar to the affects one would see from someone with a head injury or psychiatric illness. For example, older generations were accustomed to rote memorization of numbers and words such as phone numbers, math equations, and spelling words and definitions. As a result once the information was learned the process for recalling it came fairly easy. Whereas, with technology readily available to younger generations the need to retain or remember seem minor, resulting in memory loss of information. Therefore, the dependence on technology can have detrimental effects on a student’s ability to learn, to process and retain information.
Dependence on digital technology causes loss of focus due to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Snap chat; or can lead to feelings of helplessness if unable to use devices to stay connected. When discussing the effects of technology in schools one must also understand the impacts of technology on students in other settings. Brody (2006) states that forty percent of teenagers have a blog, and eighty percent report visiting sites like this. Those numbers only represent a small fraction of the social media that can cause constant distractions. A report on research done by Common Sense Media, states that teenagers average nine hours a day accessing media via smartphones, tablets, and computers. (Robb, 2015) This does not include time spent using media for school or homework. Thus, with the overwhelming amount of time a teenager spends using digital media for social purposes it stands to reason that their focus will be otherwise diverted. A research study done by University of Maryland's International Centre for Media and the Public Agenda showed that four in five students had significant mental and physical distress, panic, confusion and extreme isolation when forced to unplug from technology for an entire day. (Hough, 2011). These are similar effects like the ones a person would experience if addicted and withdrawing from drugs. When looking at the overall effects and the losses that students face, one has to question if the benefits of convenience with technology in the classroom outweigh the risks to the student overall. While technology can give ease of access to information, and if used in moderation, can benefit students some, the facts show that teenagers cannot separate themselves from their devices for purposes of strictly learning without negative effects.
Altogether, when viewing the different effects dependency on technology can have on students it is reasonable to believe that technology in the classroom can be harmful. Ranging from minor effects such as lack of focus to more worrisome effects as changes in brain function resulting in digital dementia, technology impacts the ability to retain and retrieve information. As society evolves at a rapidly growing pace so does the dependency on the ease and convenience of technology. But society really needs to look at the true cost paid to this dependency and the effects on future generations. As students become more dependent the ability to process and think critically diminishes. Therefore, allowing technology in class is not only harmful, it also sets up future generations for potential failure.

References
Brody, M. (2006, December). Understanding teens in this age of digital technology. Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter, 22(12), 8.
Crossing the Digital Divide. (2015, July). Site Selection, Vol. 60(4), 34. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://http://siteselection.com/
Hough, A. (2011, April 8). The Telegraph. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Robb, M. (2015, November 2). Common Sense Media. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org
Spitzer, M. (2012). Digitale Demenz. Droemer Knaur.