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Education

Norway banned smart phones in schools and it has been very good for young girls

Should they be banned in schools everywhere?

via Yan Krukau/Pexels

A group of students staring at their phones.

The Norwegian government is spearheading a significant initiative to prohibit students from having smartphones in schools. This move comes in the wake of compelling studies demonstrating the positive impact of removing these devices from students’ hands and allowing them to focus more on their learning.

The effects have been particularly beneficial for girls.

Over the past few years, smartphone bans have cropped up in several school districts throughout Norway, allowing researchers to study how the bans affected students. Sara Abrahamsson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, analyzed students at 400 middle schools and found that the bans had psychological and academic benefits.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health published the results.

1 Girls made fewer appointments for psychological help

The study found that there was a significant decrease in the number of visits that girls made to see a psychological specialist for mental health issues. “Relative to pretreatment this is a significant decline by almost 60% in the number of visits,” Abrahamsson wrote in the study.

2. Steep drop in bullying

The study shows that girls experienced a 46% reduction in bullying after smartphone bans were enacted and boys had a 43% reduction.

smartphone, smartphone ban, norway

Boys looking at memes on a smartphone.

via Max Fischer/Pexels

3. Improved grades for girls

The study revealed that introducing a smartphone ban at the beginning of middle school improved girls' GPAs and increased their chances of enrolling in an academic-oriented high school track versus a vocational study. On the other hand, the ban appeared to have no notable effect on boys’ GPA, teacher-assigned grades, or likelihood of pursuing an academic high school track.

4. The ban had a more significant effect on economically disadvantaged girls

The study found that the ban resulted in greater benefits for economically disadvantaged girls regarding academic performance, appointments for psychological symptoms and the probability of attending an academically focused high school.

The positive impact that the bans have on girls is significant, given the fact that studies show they’ve been the most deeply affected by the rise in mental health issues amongst young people that have coincided with smartphone adaptation.

One of the most disturbing trends is the dramatic rise in suicide rates among girls in developed nations.

smartphones in schools, norway, smartphone ban

Students taking a selfie in school.

via RDNE Stock Project

Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” and advocate for banning smartphones in schools, explained why smartphone use is more damaging for girls than boys.

“There is a special relationship between social media and girls,” Haidt told “The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie” podcast. “When boys get together … they're likely to organize themselves into groups to compete [on multiplayer video games].”

“Girls are much more interested in talking about relationships. Who is on the outs with whom? Who's dating who? They have a more developmental map of the social space,” Haidt continued.

When there is conflict within peer groups, social media poses a much greater threat to girls.

“Boys' aggression is ultimately backed up by the threat of physical domination and punching or pain, " Haidt continued. “Girls' aggression is equal in magnitude, but it's aimed at relationships and reputation. It's called relational aggression. Video games, if anything, prevent boys from getting in fights. … The platform settles everything. But girls' relational aggression is amplified. The worst year of bullying is seventh grade. I'm really focused on middle school.”


This article originally appeared on 4.25.24


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Health

Everyone's talking about 'brain rot,' and it's no joke. Here's how to avoid it.

Feeling confused? You're not alone.

via Sander Sammy/Unsplash

A man having some serious confusion brought on by brain rot.

Do you ever feel like your brain has turned to hamburger? You have difficulty concentrating, mental fogginess and zero attention span. That is a condition known as “brain rot.” Although it isn’t a medical term, plenty of research shows that overstimulation from spending too much time scrolling through social media can create a mushy mental state.

It makes complete sense that spending too much time scrolling through TikTok should break your brain because it evolved to hunt and gather on the African Savannah, not to endlessly scroll through Instagram reels.

When your brain feels like it has disintegrated into yogurt and you can’t muster up a cogent thought, you’re probably having trouble with executive functioning, which consists of your working memory, mental elasticity and self-control. Studies have shown that people who are addicted to social media have trouble with trouble sleeping as well.

Difficulty sleeping can exacerbate mental fogginess, making the brain fog even worse.

How do you know if you’re addicted to social media? If you get seriously agitated when you can’t scroll on your favorite apps or if it’s getting in the way of other hobbies, activities, or responsibilities.

It may seem like scrolling through your phone is a harmless activity, but it’s so enjoyable because it causes some strong neurochemical reactions in your brain.

Scrolling through social media triggers the release of dopamine, a neurochemical that creates feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. The more you scroll, the more you crave it. Your brain links scrolling with gratification, even if you know it has adverse effects. Over time, this can lead to a behavioral addiction.

When people spend too much time on their phones, it can rewire their reward centers so that getting positive mental dopamine rewards from rewarding things such as working on a hobby or hanging out with people in real life becomes less pleasurable than scrolling, posting and getting likes.

Brain scans of people who are addicted to social media resemble those of drug addicts.

When all of this information is taken together, it’s clear that the little phone in our pocket can tremendously impact our ability to think, feel and interact with the real world. So what can we do?

If you feel like your brain has become as helpful as an old catcher’s mitt, it’s probably time to put your phone down and touch grass, work on a non-digital hobby, or have coffee with a friend.

According to the American Psychological Association, enjoying nature is one of the best ways to overcome a sluggish mind. “There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human well­being,” says Lisa Nisbet, PhD, a psychologist at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, who studies the benefits of people connecting with nature. “You can boost your mood just by walking in nature, even in urban nature. And the sense of connection you have with the natural world seems to contribute to happiness even when you’re not physically immersed in nature.”

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Popular

Comedian gets serious on why Millenials say life hasn't felt like 'reality' since 2020

He also shares tips on how to return to reality.

via MikeMancusi/TikTok (used with permission) and Liza Summer/Pexels

Mike Mancusi shares why life doesn't feel real anymore.

Comedian Mike Mancusi struck a chord on TikTok and Instagram with a post explaining why many people, especially Millenials, think life hasn’t felt like “reality” since the beginning of the pandemic four years ago.

"The cause of this phenomenon is the fact that we're not living life in reality anymore," Mancusi claims. "2020 smashed our existences into our phones and into the digital world and we are no longer existing in our physical space.”

He adds that our lives now feel more like a "video game" and that we're exposed to all of the "awful things that everybody across the entire world deals with all the time” instead of being concerned with things in our “circle of influence.”

“We are still organic beings and our brains have been completely connected to this artificial device. ... We'll eventually be cyborgs,” the comedian said.

Life hasn't felt like reality since 2020 

@mikemancusi

Life hasnt felt like reality since 2020 #existentialcrisis #existentialism #existential #2020 #technology #millennials #millennial

​He adds that even when we break out of our digital routines and go on vacation, our phones are still top-of-mind. We fear we’re missing out on something on social media and feel pressured to take photos and share the trip online.

"We are no longer actually living life in our physical space, we are living it through the phone. This is why life does not feel like reality,” Mancusi said. “Life just seems to disappear when you are trapped in a routine ... a routine of our brains being completely connected to whatever is happening within this device."

Mancusi’s bottom line is simple: You're addicted to the phone. Return to your physical spaces.

Upworthy spoke with Mancusi and he shared his thoughts on how people can break the cycle of smartphone addiction and return to reality. He believes that we are all suffering from some form of smartphone addiction.

"[Smartphones are] an addiction that has caused a lot of change in your brain chemistry. The process of adjusting your behaviors can be long and challenging. If you've been scrolling your phone endlessly for 4 years, the process of getting back to the real world is not going to happen in 3 days," he told Upworthy.

He believes that smartphone addiction is incredibly challenging because, much like food addiction, it's impossible to go "cold turkey."

"People need to re-adjust their relationship with their phones and incorporate strict limitations," he told Upworthy. "For example, I won't scroll between the hours of 9 and 12 a.m. Any time I go out to dinner with my wife, I won't bring my phone. When I take the dog to the park, I won't bring my phone. I'm blocking Instagram access while I'm at work."

In the end, Mancusi believes that we need to retrain our brains to find joy in our physical lives, which have been diminished by the quick and easy dopamine hits we get from our smartphones.

"Your brain has been wired only to get joy from an unhealthy thing," he told Upworthy. "It has been intentionally altered by tech executives. Re-training your brain to enjoy your physical space is a process that will take time, but for those who invest in it, it will pay off in the long term when you align your happiness with healthier, tangible things. Find the things that you love to do in life and re-train yourself to love them again."





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Health

March 3 is National Unplugging Day. We asked a therapist why it’s more important than ever.

"This day is a good start to learning to disconnect, to reconnect with people and the world around them."

via Pixabay

A tired teen holding her smartphone

Just mentioning the idea of taking a break from their smartphones gives some folks a rush of anxiety. What if I get a text? What if I miss breaking news on Twitter? What if that special someone finally slides into my DMs?

The stress is real. But turning off our phones and taking a break has incredible health benefits. A report published in Psychology Today found that just turning off our phones for one hour a day before bed can improve your sleep quality and sex life, and gets you out the door faster in the morning.

To help people find a better balance with the all-pervasive technology in their lives, March 3 has been designated the National Day of Unplugging (NDU). “The idea behind the day was to challenge people to keep their electronic devices unplugged and unused for 24 hours in order to give themselves the chance to take a break and spend time relaxing with family, friends, or alone,” Days of the Year says.

Rebooting, a Jewish organization, initially started NDU as an outgrowth of the Sabbath Manifesto that encourages carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors and connect with loved ones.

smartphone addiction, mental health, unplugging

A smartphone user scrolling through an app

via Pexels

To learn more about the importance of unplugging, Upworthy spoke with Jennifer Kelman, a licensed clinical social worker, certified professional coach and JustAnswer.com mental health expert, on the importance of taking the occasional tech break.

Kelman sees the problems associated with tech addiction every day in her practice.

“We all need more than a day to unplug, but one day is a good start,” Kelman told Upworthy. “Our device use is controlling our lives, and we are losing the ability to interact with each other. Relationships are suffering as the devices are interfering with our interpersonal interactions and time spent together.”

While taking a tech break may stress some people out, it’s worth considering the stress that technology already has us fighting.

“We are more anxious and depressed as we doom scroll on social media and see the ‘perfect lives’ of others. There is no longer the work day, as now people are required to be accessible at all times,” Kelman told Upworthy. “Our relationships are suffering as we ignore our partners and family as the addiction to our device takes up most of our waking, and sometimes even our sleeping lives. People can't even turn their phones off and are checking their phones in the middle of the night.”

Kelman believes that we need to choose people over technology and that NDU is a great way to bring that to people’s attention.

smartphone addiction, mental health, unplugging

A woman staring at her phone at a party

via Pexels

“This day is a good start to learning to disconnect, to reconnect with people and the world around them,” Kelman told Upworthy. “It is not enough, though, as the mental health of all of us is suffering, and we continue to choose to give our mental health over to technology, smartphones and social media. It behooves all of us to make a different choice and choose healthy interpersonal relationships and communication over technology and social media.”

In the end, it’s all about balance.

“There can be a time and place for device use and social media scrolling, but it should be in moderation and one should do a self-check to see how they feel when they are on social media and using their devices,” Kelman continued. “If you are aware that you are anxious and depressed, do all you can to limit the use of devices, technology and social media.”


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