What parents need to know
School laptops often allow unfettered access to YouTube, tempting students to watch endless videos instead of doing homework. The same device meant to support learning becomes the primary obstacle to it.
Full Citation
Twenge, J.M. (2024). 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. New York: Atria Books.
Publication Type
Book by leading psychology researcher on technology and youth development
What They Studied
Professor Jean Twenge, who has conducted extensive research on technology’s effects on children and adolescents, examined how school-issued devices function in home environments. She investigated whether devices provided for educational purposes actually support learning at home or whether they primarily serve as sources of distraction and entertainment.
Key Findings
- “School laptops are also distracting at home. Many allow unfettered access to YouTube, tempting students to watch an endless loop of videos instead of doing their homework”
- School-issued devices typically lack the parental controls and restrictions that parents might place on personal devices
- Students can easily access entertainment content on devices that schools say are for “learning”
- The same tool meant to facilitate homework becomes the primary impediment to completing it
- Parents often feel they cannot restrict school devices because “it’s for homework”
- Schools rarely provide parents with effective tools to monitor or limit device use at home
- Students report that the temptation to watch videos, play games, or use social media is overwhelming when they’re supposed to be working
- Homework that requires a device essentially requires providing access to all the internet’s distractions
- The problem is structural: devices designed for entertainment are poor tools for focused work
- Even well-intentioned students struggle to resist the constant availability of more engaging content
- Parents are put in an impossible position: they can’t remove the distraction without preventing homework completion
Read the book
Twenge, J.M. (2024). 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. Atria Books.
