Some parents want to see primary schools go ‘device free’. There could be unintended consequences

By Karley Beckman, Senior Lecturer in Digital Technologies for Learning, University of Wollongong
Tiffani Apps, Associate Professor Digital Technologies for Learning | ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Wollongong

Some Australian parents are pushing for a return to “pen-and-paper learning” amid concerns about children’s attention spans and academic achievement. An online petition calling for primary schools to be “device free” has collected more than 24,000 signatures.

Political leaders are also…

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