The summer before last, I read an important book, a must-read for teenagers and their parents: A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age. In A Deadly Wandering, Matt Richtel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author recounts the true story of Reggie Shaw, a teenager, who must come to terms with the fact that he has killed two brilliant rocket scientists by texting and driving. Reggie ultimately seeks redemption by dedicating his entire life to sharing his story to eradicate texting and driving.
Richtel’s deftly written and page-turning account is supported by remarkable cognitive neuroscience that helps us understand exactly how tightly each of us is bound to our smartphones. While there is no more important message than avoiding texting and driving for our teenage children, as your academic coach, I must extend Richtel’s analysis to studying.
Our cell phones sit on the table or in our pockets. With each ping or vibration, we receive a shot of dopamine that lures us to pick up the phone and to check our messages. Trying to resist that lure is nearly impossible. It is akin, according to Richtel, to a cave man’s trying to ignore being tapped on the shoulder. He must look to assess whether he is facing an opportunity or a threat; so, too, we must look, to see and to evaluate what news is coming our way.
We are aware that we should not text and drive, but ignoring a pinging phone requires super-human willpower, especially for a teenager whose frontal lobe has not yet fully developed. The addictive nature of cell phones is very similar to smoking according to Richtel. We know that we should not do it, but we do it anyway. At this point, though, unlike smoking, there simply is not enough shame surrounding the constant interaction with our cell phones to dissuade such behavior.
The statistics are sobering:
18% or more (280,000+) of all crashes are due to texting and driving;
95% say that they know texting and driving is akin to drinking and driving, but 30% or more do it anyway; and
Drivers continue to be distracted for 15 seconds after sending a text message!
If it is this difficult to avoid texting and driving, why would our children not allow a text message to interrupt study time?
Our young are already exposed to an astronomical amount of screen time from binge-watching Netflix to playing Pokémon Go, Candy Crush, or the latest video game, but nothing draws them away more than constant text messaging. Ask yourself this, “How many text messages does your child receive each day, each week, each month, and what is the impact of this on his or her homework?” While our children try to concentrate on homework, their cell phones emit a constant ping and/or vibration, luring them to near continual distraction. Homework that should take thirty minutes to complete could take hours, because transitioning between two concurrent activities takes minutes, not seconds.
While your children study, insist that their cell phones remain completely shut off, even in a different room. Messages should be checked during study breaks only, and study breaks should follow twenty to thirty minute sessions of focused time. We cannot expect our children to be disciplined, particularly when we look in the mirror and assess our own culpability.