Before I start, let me stress that I am not a doctor, scientist or social worker. I am a high school teacher and parent. I have read a lot but I am by no means an expert. Instead, I am relying on limited scientific knowledge and a bit of common sense.
Earlier today, I read a post by @buggedout about Dopamine Fasting. First, I want to thank him for his candor and for being willing to share his journey. It takes guts to talk about and even more guts and intelligence to decide to take care of one's mental health.
His post got me thinking about my students and my fellow teachers. It seems a day does not go by without a fellow teacher complaining that their students are on their phones too much and that the school should do something about it. Some want the phones banned from school. Some want them hung on pouches on the wall as students enter a class. Others want the school to provide lock boxes that cellphones are sealed in for the entire day. I always respond the exact same way. I remind them that they are merely trying to "treat" a symptom rather than the disease. In fact, they aren't really treating anything. They are trying to avoid the symptoms and the disease.
In my layman's opinion, kids are clearly addicted to their phones. Heck, most adults are too. But this is not a conscious choice. Our brains rely on a chemical called Dopamine to reward us for certain behaviors. Dopamine creates feelings of pleasure, excitement, and motivation when you're carrying out activities that should be helpful to your existence. "For example, eating delicious food, listening to music, experiencing physical touch, or receiving praise can all potentially trigger a dopamine release. This chemical signal encourages us to repeat these behaviors, reinforcing the activities that make us feel good." (From calm )
You know what else releases Dopamine? Scrolling on your phone. Texting. Looking at social media. Getting "likes" on a post. Playing a video game.
You know where we can get these things any second of any day? Our phones. So can students.
Teenagers, whose decision making portions of their brains are not fully developed, have access to a Dopamine release any second they want. Like any addiction, eventually thy need more and more. It also seems that getting these boosts on demand lessen the effect of the naturally occurring ones like the boost you get when you get an answer right in class.
So when my fellow teachers complain about phones I ask them, "What are you replacing the Dopamine boots with"? Almost all of them look like I just grew a second head. I go on to say, "Let's just accept as fact that kids are addicted to their phones. We can argue all day if they should be addicted. We argue how society's , parents' or schools' failures have lead to the addiction. But none of that matters. All that matters is that they have an addiction. How easy is it to quit an addiction 'cold turkey'"?
It is incredibly hard to kick an addiction. Most adults who succeed at kicking an addiction use some kind of program or support group. Or they turn to science like nicotine patches or weight loss drugs. And yet all of these adults simply say, "Just take the thing the kid is addicted to and make them quit with no support at all". That does not seem logical to me.
So I go back to me "What are you replacing the Dopamine boost with"? If the answer is "nothing", then I fear that teacher is doomed. Although I am far from perfect and cellphones can still pose an issue in my classes, I try to combat them by providing opportunities for positive Dopamine boosts in my classroom.
Here is a small sample of the "Dopamine Menu" I look at when planning a lesson:
- Gamify lessons as much as possible (escape rooms, puzzles, card games, board games, etc.)
- Use music and let kids move as much as possible
- Have kids do mini turn and talks during a lesson. (Interacting with another human gives a boost)
- Make kids laugh
- Let kids draw or show off another talent during a lesson
- Ask tons of questions that they can actually answer (a sense of being right, releases a boost)
- Provide positive feedback (A teacher telling them they are awesome releases a boost)
- Do mini-mysteries where kids need to actively figure something out instead of just pouring info into their heads.
I am by no means saying this is an easy problem to solve. I still have challenges every day. I am just saying that we need to approach his like any addiction and have some compassion while using proven techniques to support kids as they are fighting their addiction.
People have weird dissonances sometimes.
LoL I love the "dopamine menu" XD I did quite a few of those when homeschooling. Wish I'd known about escape rooms back then, my kids would have gotten a kick out of that. They haven't completely missed out though, they've done a few as teenagers.
They are having kids keep their phones in their lockers all day where I work. It's only the second day, but from what I gather it isn't going too well. As the tech guy I always get annoyed when teachers try to have the tech department solve what is largely a classroom management issue. Me blocking a site isn't going to make them suddenly not be bored in your class...
100%! We need to look at why they are seeking other things to do. Not eliminating other things to do. I mean are they going to paint all the windows black and put blinders on all the kids? Or should they check their lessons and see why kids are so bored?
Yeah, I totally agree. I think teachers need to learn to adapt a bit more too. There are some who do it great, but then there are those who are still using the same lessons they did five or ten years ago and it just doesn't work. Kids don't learn the way they used to, they need more and teachers need to be willing to give it to them. I've been trying to get a technology coach on staff for close to two decades now which I think would help teachers create those engaging lesson plans, but the district never has the money for it. We have a fancy new soccer field though...
There's a pub in Ireland that make you put your phone in a locker when you go in because they were sick of everyone just stuck in their phones. Pub is packed now every week. Hopefully this is the start
Using cellphones as an addiction slowly becomes a 'thing' for older people, too. I am noticing that a lot with my parents, that whenever they are not busy (and they rarely are since they are retired), they grab the phone right away and spend hours playing games, listening to podcasts, or simply scrolling on Facebook.
So whether we are speaking about young people or older people, in both cases, we are facing a very damaging and harmful addiction 😞
From a distance, a lot of problems seem unsolvable and that’s why there is always this tension when things are going a certain way. But I believe most of these tensions are there because of lack of communication and understanding. Kids using their phone won’t stop just by making these policies. They will keep using their phones whenever they want to because they don’t understand why it’s important that they wait for those few hours before they get back to using their phones.
Like Bozz already mentioned, teachers also have to make some compromises at some point. It might take time but when students see a teacher that is able to understand them better, when such a teacher advises them to do away with something, it works better than a teacher who can’t relate with them at some level.
!PIMP
@hopestylist here!
Earlier, there was no mobile phone era and children used to study with great interest. Previously, the children who studied before us were not allowed to bring mobile phones to school, but now, when mobile phones were allowed, we have seen that people were secretly using mobile phones and did not pay attention to their studies at all. So, here I am saying that mobile phones must be kept away from children for some time, only then will they be able to focus on their studies. Without education, success in this world has become almost impossible. We see education in everything and without it, we cannot learn anything. Social media too, if we have to learn for work, then education is the most important thing first. When there is no mobile phone, children will study with great interest.
Thank you @hanshotfirst for sharing this idea even if you say it is your layman's opinion it is better than any other experts. This content speaks so much for all students and teachers struggling with the issue of phone addiction. You acknowledge the addiction gracefully and attack them in ways that are still dopamine boosting. The menu you gave is my favorite part and I thank you for sharing those because often when I conduct seminars I usually see the participants scrolling on their phone not givint an ear to me so this menu will help me. To more of this content!❤️❤️❤️
Right now, students don't realize that they are ignoring their studies because of their mobile phones. When this time passes, they will realize that life without studies would be very wrong and full of problems. Therefore, it is better to do everything on time
We are all addicted to our phones right now, and I say this because of myself. In my youth, a few years ago, phones did exist, but they weren't as easy to get and they weren't as smart as they are now. But what did we do? We played sports to release dopamine. However, now, with a simple like or talking to someone who really interests us, we do it. Anyway, you have a complicated task, my friend, but I see that you have a plan that, if executed well, could mean that those children in the future won't be so dependent on their phones.
In fact, when we just talk about turning off the phone, we are avoiding the root of the problem. Again, the way you have created the dopamine menu and shown the path to alternative pleasure is truly a unique and realistic solution. Thank you for discussing such an important topic.
I don't think banning phones would fix the problem, especially kds nowawadays who are introduced to phones early in their age lol. But i like the idea where you could make class fun, interactive, and gives students the boost they’re looking for in a healthier way
Just turning off the phone won't solve the problem. Your "Dopamine Menu" seems really effective in motivating students positively. Thanks for sharing.
This world is full of dependencies. You did the right thing by replacing one dependency with another. You have replaced one interest with another.
Recently replaced cognac with pu-erh. I really like this addiction. The craving for alcohol has completely passed, now I only want tea with L-theanine. But there are also irreplaceable things, for example, I can’t imagine what can replace Hive. It gives a very good rush of dopamine.
Great perspective! Providing positive motivation in class instead of over the phone is a realistic and compassionate approach.
Thanks for sharing, I agree that phones give instant dopamine, which makes students easily addicted. Just banning them won’t solve the problem—it only creates more anxiety. I love the “Dopamine Menu” idea, since it makes learning fun and healthy. Schools should also support teachers with training and creative space so this approach can really work
I like your creative approach. There is no stopping the cellphone addiction, but curving it by creating engaging activities, that compete with the phone is healthy way to deal with the problem, and also a good challenge for you
Great ideas. Especially incorporating escape rooms with lessons. That would entice me to go back to school 😆
The truth is that it's not an easy problem to solve, my friend, but we must try to attack the disease from the root, as such, when they are just beginning to become aware and parents automatically give them their phone number to keep them calm. It's complicated, but you already give some keys to try to increase that DOPAMINE in a more natural way.
You are very much on points.
As a teacher myself, I found your thoughts to be quite insightful. In my classes, I usually have a no phones rule, unless in specific circumstances where it can help them with an activity. If they are using it when they shouldn't I will try to make an example of them, either by taking points away from a team activity or take it away for the remainder of class. This usually sets the tone for the rest of the class to follow. I agree that teachers need to be proactive about filling this dopamine hole for students. Many of your suggestions, I already incorporate into lessons, but the escape room and mini-mystery ideas sound like a lot of fun, and I think I'll have to find a way to incorporate those into future lessons.