Parents’ digital learning opt out form to share
We reached out to Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, author of the just-released book, “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking our Kids — and How to Break the Trance,” and received his permission to share the excellent sample digital learning opt out letter that is included in the book (see below).
Dr. .Kardaras says, “Parents and schools have been misled by tech companies into believing that educational technology leads to better school outcomes; but the research just doesn’t bear that out. What we essentially have is a $60 billion dollar scam where digital Trojan horses filled with the potential for clinical disorders have been allowed into our kids’ classrooms under the pretense of being ‘educational’. Unfortunately, we have been conducting a massive experiment using our kids as guinea pigs without vetting any of these developmentally inappropriate marvels of the digital age.”
Please also see PAA’s recommendations for sensible use of technology, and questions to ask at your child’s school, as well as our full list of reports.
School Technology Opt-Out Letter
Dear Teacher and/or School Administrator,
I would like to respectfully request that all of my child’s education and educational content be presented without the use of electronic devices. This includes the use of tablets, chrome books, lap tops or desk top computers.
We wish to help nurture and support our child’s educational, social, psychological and emotional development as much as possible and have become increasingly concerned with the potential detrimental aspects of screen technologies on young children.
We understand that you, as the school, have a responsibility to present our child with state approved educational content and curriculum. We are in full agreement with that. But it is within our right as parents to ensure that the medium by which our children’s education is being presented is safe and not problematic clinically nor developmentally.
There has been a plethora of research indicating the adverse effect of electronic screens on children’s attentional, cognitive and social development if they are exposed at too young of an age. Please feel free to refer to the Website www.Glowkids.com for a full list of that peer-reviewed research.
Sincerely,
___________________________________________
The Parent(s) of: __________________________________________
