I was folding laundry (what else is new?) and had the TV on in the background when a segment on the show Full Measure with Sharyl Attkison came on that caught my attention. The segment was called “Digital Impact” and its focus was on the huge disconnect between how parents and teachers view digital devices.  

Here’s a short excerpt:

Sharyl: First of all, do you know how many children bring some sort of computer device to school?

Brandon Busteed: The estimates vary, but between eight and nine out of ten students bring some sort of digital device to school these days, so it’s a pretty prevalent occurrence.

Sharyl: And most of the teachers you polled think digital devices are harmful to students’ physical and mental health. First, in terms of physical health I think that’s kind of a no brainer. What were they saying?

Brandon Busteed: Only four percent of teachers say that the devices are mostly helpful to their mental and physical health which is to say that the rest either say it’s harmful to them or are indifferent.

Sharyl: And that, I think, might be expected, but the number when it comes to mental health was pretty overwhelming. I think it was 69% said digital devices were more likely to harm a student’s mental health. Were you surprised that number was so high?

Brandon Busteed: Seven out of ten teachers say that digital devices are harmful to students’ mental health, only four percent see it as slightly helpful, and, but that’s in contrast to nearly 70% of parents who say that digital devices on whole are helpful to their students’ mental health, so there is a stunning difference there.

Click below to watch the entire segment or here to read the full transcript and then share your thoughts in the comment section about how and why such a huge difference of opinion may exist between teachers and parents on this topic that challenges all of us daily.