Expert talk at Bavarian International School (BIS) in Munich about the use of smartphones & social media
Overprotection in the real world, underprotection in the digital world
A group of Nazis ring the doorbell of a family home: “Hello, we'd like to visit your 14-year-old son Michael”. “Sure, come in,” says the mother. A few seconds later, three barely dressed ladies are at the door. “Hello, we'd like to visit your 14-year-old son Michael”. “Of course, you’re welcome to come in,” says the mum again. No mother or father would allow this in the real world. In the digital world with smartphones and social media, however, we leave our children alone with all these dangers without any control...
Smart kids vs. smartphones was the title of the 7th BIS City Talk of the Bavarian International School (BIS) at the Schwabing Campus and this little anecdote by keynote speaker & digitalisation expert Philipp Depiereux got to the heart of the matter and gave all guests a wake up call. “Overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the digital world”(Jonathan Haidt) should be replaced by more control, responsibility and a better role model function by parents.
Government regulation is needed, such as the social media ban for all children up to the age of 16 in Australia; neuroscientist Prof Dr Christian Montag also proposes this top-down solution for smartphones in schools, for example. At the same time, the responsible use of digital devices in schools makes sense if it serves learning and the development of digital citizens. Digital media skills will be more important than ever in the future, as well as teaching future skills. Ultimately, all speakers recommend trusting the scientific research that the use of smartphones and social media should be postponed as long as possible..
German-Californian entrepreneur Philipp Depiereux and scientist and author Prof. Dr Christian Montag were joined by education expert Dr Magdalena Balica from the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB) and BIS Head of School Dr Chrissie Sorenson, moderated by TV host Funda Vanroy (‘Galileo’). With around 140 guests, the BIS City Talk was “sold out” (free entry).
Courage to say no
With sneakers, a baseball cap and provocative theses, Philipp Depiereux started off by bringing a Californian vibe into the room. Together with his wife, he is raising his four children (7, 10, 15, 18) completely without digital devices until the age of 14. When one of his children got his first smartphone at 14, a loan agreement with clear rules and controls was drawn up. The entrepreneur and “changerider” encourages parents to take on more responsibility, to have the courage to say “no” and to follow the philosophy of “parenting with love and logic”. He believes that students need more digital media skills and that seven core competencies of the future are crucial and should play a key role in schools: critical thinking, creativity, courage, communication skills, collaboration, empathy and social competence.
Dr Magdalena Balica from the International Baccalaureate was pleased to hear this. “These future skills are the core of our educational programme.”
Prof Dr Christian Montag made it clear that scientific studies show that banning smartphones has many positive effects: more interaction, more physical activity, less cyberbullying and even better grades. Although neuroscientific studies are still scarce, it has been shown that it is very hard for young minds to resist the social media platforms – and it is already very hard for older users. ‘Children learn by imitation and it is therefore all the more important that parents are good role models and rethink their own digital usage behaviour. For example, if my daughter only sees me with my smartphone in my study, then she associates the smartphone with work - and not with distracting entertainment,’ said Prof Dr Christian Montag, who will take up a professorship of cognitive and brain sciences at the center of collaborative innovation at the University of Macau (China) in April.
Digital wellbeing
Digital balance and wellbeing are special topics that Dr Magdalena Balica focuses on. It's not about banning all digital tools, she says, but a sensible approach is important on the way to becoming a digital citizen. “Not everything that is harmful is digital. Not everything that is digital is harmful,” says Dr Balica. She has identified four decisive factors for wellbeing: health and mental health, quality of relationships, environment and level of skills.
Understanding the importance of digital balance and the downsides of digitalisation (fake news & propaganda, distraction & loss of concentration, reduced social contact and physical activity, etc.) are discussed in many subjects at the Bavarian International School. In a nutshell, the development of digital citizens at BIS is about a sense of responsibility (be a positive digital agent), security (be safe with your digital self) and kindness (be kind as a digital interactor).
BIS Head of School Dr Sorenson gave encouragement and confirmed the success of a consistent policy at the IB World School: “We have had a ban on smartphones since 2018, but since we have implemented these rules more strictly, the volume level during breaks and lunch time has increased significantly while children talk to each other more - a very nice, heart-warming result of our measures.”
The BIS City Talk is a public dialogue format at the interface of education, science, business and politics. BIS thus emphasises its role as a committed partner to the Munich region and as a pioneer of modern education.
Editorial special in our latest BIS magazine INSPIRE
Additional helpful links for parents (and teachers):
- Book and website “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt
- Smartphone Free Childhood UK
- Book “Das Digital-Dilemma” by Prof Dr Christian Montag (and others)
- Book “Allein mit dem Handy” by Daniel Wolff
- Book “The Tech-Wise Family” by Andy Crouch
- Book “Parenting With Love and Logic” by Foster W. Cline & Jim Fay
- Book “Digitale Demenz - Wie wir uns und unsere Kinder um den Verstand bringen” by Manfred Spitzer
Wellbeing research and projects:
- Wellbeing research - International Baccalaureate®
- https://www.ibo.org/join-our-student-wellbeing-learning-journey-with-schools/
Podcasts related to wellbeing:
- https://ibvoices.transistor.fm/83
- https://boldscience.org/wellbeing-tips-for-teachers/