Why is this important book not yet translated into English?
Prof. Manfred Spitzer writes about the dark side of the digital world. Spitzer is a well-known German scholar in the field of brain research and psychiatry. “In reality, using digital media in kindergarten or primary school is actually a way of getting children addicted.”
He does NOT claims that we should completely forbid the use of computers, but too much time spent on digital media makes us dumber instead of smarter. When children have access to a computer at home, there school results in language and mathematics drop. Intensive use of digital media by children actually damanges the brain. Children who spend a lot of their time on social media, have less friends in the real world than children who don’t spend a lot of time on social media. Spitzer recommends to limit the time spent on digital media for children of all ages.
Many people advocating ICT in education do not want to hear about Manfred Spitzers’ agruments at all. However, in particular those who work in this field should be informed about what thorough research shows, in order to be able to avoid the pitfalls and curb the disadvantages that come along with the use of ICT.
Digital Dementia is published in German, Dutch, Spanish and in Norwegian.
DiScoro 