the digital parent trap essay

Rhetorical Analysis of Eliana Dockterman’s the digital parent trap

How Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology.

Eliana Dockterman presents a multifaceted argument in response to the common misconceptions among parents about their kids being exposed to technology at a tender age. Through her argument, she tries to dispel the confusion and misunderstandings surrounding technology and its use for education and training of adolescents. Eliana has based her argument on facts and stats to highlight the psychological barriers related to the adoption of technology for kids’ education at an early stage. Eliana’s speech exposes the barriers to technology-based learning for young students and highlights how parents can make the task easier for school through their cooperation.

Eliana begins her argument with a discussion of how the new generation of kids is tech savvier compared to previous generations. She refers to stats and data highlighting the growing usage of technology among kids and how instead of causing any kind of suffering or moral decline, it instead indicates progress. Right at the outset, she sets a strong foundation for her argument proposing the need for change in parents’ mindset. They must stop thinking that using technology causes a loss of focus among kids and is not a good replacement for traditional learning.

Referring to the stats on the growing adoption of technology, Eliana highlights how the world has advanced a lot and the use of technology inside schools has kept growing. Schools are planning to adopt more technology which shows the role it can play in facilitating modern education. In this way, she challenges the assumption that technology for basic education can be harmful and builds an argument to persuade her audience that embracing technology is neither difficult nor disadvantageous. It becomes clear from her initial words that the acceptance of technology in the academic world is already high and parents should try to accept the change.

The speaker mainly uses ethos and logos to persuade her audience and relies mainly on facts to deliver her point. However, at various points, she also makes use of pathos to grow the impact of her words. Her initial words make it clear that she means to establish the potential of technology as a game-changer and as a facilitator in terms of adolescent education. She spells out the dilemma parents and kids are faced with as she moves on. On the one hand, kids and schools may be eager to make technology an integral part of modern education, research shows that a large number of parents are still unwilling to be a part of this change. They see it as an addiction and spend money to get their kids rid of their gadgets and to reduce the time they spend using technology.

Her use of imagery makes the picture even interesting and engaging. A kid who likes technology and has grown up with it from home to school is being advised by parents and paid counselors to spend less time with his gadgets than books. In her speech, she refers to the average American family which still does not understand the value of technology as a tool for education and doubts its potential, thinking it distracts kids who should spend their time among books. When she says, “So who’s right—the mom trying to protect her kids from the perils of new technology or the dad who’s coaching his kids to embrace it?”,  she is referring to the common picture in the U.S. society. Eliana’s argument is strengthened by her use of real-world stats and data. IN this way, she emphasizes that while technological change is happening at a very fast pace, not all are ready to embrace it. The problem as per her argument is that people’s awareness of technology and its educational benefits is still limited.

They are more aware of its perils and less of how it can facilitate their child’s growth and learning. In this way, Eliana also subtly hints at the main reason behind the parents’ skepticism which is that their traditional mindset does not allow them to search farther than the most convenient answers. Most parents find it convenient to blame technology. However, apart from highlighting their ignorance, Eliana uses a compare and contrast approach to weigh out the advantages that technology can potentially deliver and the disadvantages if there are any. She compares the older studies that blame technology and on-screen violence with the latest research to show how things are changing and why people should approach technology from a new angle. The speaker’s selection of words is meant to stress the relationship between society and technology. In terms of kids’ education too, things only get easier with the help of technology. It is an important area where parents should choose carefully and not blindly.

To add credibility to her speech, she cites statistics based on research carried out by reputed institutions like MIT. Eliana’s speech stresses balancing the two sides of this picture. On the one side is the traditional view that exposure to technology at a tender age has only negative effects. On the other is the modern viewpoint that technology drives engagement and faster learning and that social media and games can be used to create positive learning experiences. She lays out during her speech and towards the end too that the social, educational, and job environments are changing fast and one should be prepared for these changes. While the skepticism of parents and their concerns are valid to an extent, tech fluency is something that will help them throughout their lives. All the while, she weighs both sides of the argument to show how the traditional mindset is losing ground before the modern.

ETHOS, PATHOS AND LOGOS.

In her speech Eliana Dockterman makes use of all three elements – ‘Ethos, Pathos and Logos’ to persuade her audience and for a stronger argument. For ethos or to add ethical appeal to her speech, she refers to reputed sources like research by MIT and others. Her use of real-world stats also adds credibility to her speech.

Pathos or emotional element is also there in Eliana’s speech. She outlines the common picture in the U.S. society where a generation that has grown up with technology and learned to live day and night with it, is being deprived of valuable support on the basis of outdated research and irrelevant reasons. When she says, “There’s also a fundamental aversion to sitting kids in front of screens, thanks to decades of studies proving that watching too much TV can lead to obesity, violence, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder”, she is indicating towards the pathetic confusions prevalent in the US society. Parents are profoundly mistaken in their view of technology.

Eliana’s speech is also backed by strong logic. She compares the past with the present and the future and how the fast-changing environment requires people to get ready to embrace technology in all walks of life including education. The way the job environment has changed proves her point that if kids are not prepared today, tomorrow they might miss the most important opportunities in life. To make her logic stronger, she compares and contrasts the traditional picture with the modern while outlining the advantages of modern technology.

• Adapted from Eliana Dockterman, “The Digital Parent Trap.” ©2013 by Time Inc. Originally published August 19, 2013.

Pratap, Abhijeet. “RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF ELIANA DOCKTERMAN’S THE DIGITAL PARENT TRAP.”  Cheshnotes , May 2019, cheshnotes.com/2019/05/rhetorical-analysis-of-eliana-docktermans-the-digital-parent-trap/.

Pratap, A. (2019, May). RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF ELIANA DOCKTERMAN’S THE DIGITAL PARENT TRAP. In  Cheshnotes . Retrieved from https://cheshnotes.com/rhetorical-analysis-of-eliana-docktermans-the-digital-parent-trap/

Abhijeet Pratap is a passionate blogger with seven years of experience in the field. Specializing in business management and digital marketing, he has developed a keen understanding of the intricacies of these domains. Through his insightful articles, Abhijeet shares his knowledge, helping readers navigate the complexities of modern business landscapes and digital strategies.

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

6 SAT Essay Examples to Answer Every Prompt

Just as with most essays, the major secret to excelling on the SAT essay is to pre-plan the examples and evidence you want to use.

"But wait!" I hear you cry. "Can you do that on the new SAT essay? Isn’t the point of the essay that you’re supposed to be using information from the passage in your answer, which you don’t know about ahead of time?"

The answer: Yes and no. While the specifics of each example will obviously change, depending on the passage, the types of examples you choose to discuss (and the way you explain each example builds the author’s argument) can be defined, and thus prepared for, ahead of time.

In this article, we give you 6 good SAT essay examples you’ll be able to find in nearly every prompt the SAT throws at you. By assembling a collection of these reliable types of evidence that can be used to answer most prompts, you'll cut down on planning time and significantly increase the amount you can write, making you able to walk into every SAT essay confident in your abilities.

feature image credit: 1 to 9 mosaic , cropped/Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 .

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});.

In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

Why You Can Prep SAT Essay Examples Before Test Day

The SAT essay prompts have several important things in common:

• They’re all passages that try to convince the reader of the veracity of the author’s claim
• They’re all around the same length (650-750 words)
• They’re all meant to be analyzed and written about in a relatively short period of time (50 minutes)

This means that you can have a pretty good idea ahead of time of what types of argument-building techniques you might see when you open the booklet on test day.

The main techniques the author uses aren't going to be overly complex (like the first letter of every word spelling out a secret code), because you just don’t have the time to analyze and write about complex techniques. B ecause of that, you can prepare yourself with SAT essay examples that’ll be likely found across persuasive passages about many different issues .

Naturally, for each passage you're going to want to play to its particular strengths—if there are a lot of facts/statistics, make sure to discuss that; if it dwells more on personal anecdotes/appeals to emotion, discuss those. However, if you struggle with analysis in a short period of time, memorizing these categories of examples ahead of time can give you a helpful checklist to go through when reading the SAT essay prompt and point you in the right direction.

Below, we've chosen two examples of evidence, two examples of reasoning, and two examples of stylistic/persuasive elements you can use as stellar evidence to support your thesis .

For each example below, we also show you how you can use the type of evidence to support your thesis across a range of prompts. This flexibility should prove to you how effective pre-planned examples are.

So, without further ado, onto our list of multipurpose support for any SAT Essay prompt.

Examples of Evidence

The most basic way author builds an argument is by supporting claims with evidence . There are many different kinds of evidence author might use to support her/his point, but I'm just going to discuss the two big ones I've seen in various official SAT Essay prompts. These two types of evidence are Facts and Statistics and Anecdotes .

Example Type 1: Facts and Statistics

Employing statistics and facts to bolster one's argument is one of the most unassailable methods authors can use to build an argument. This argument-building technique is particularly common in essays written about scientific or social studies-related topics, where specific data and facts are readily available.

How Can You Identify It?

Statistics usually show up in the form of specific numbers related to the topic at hand —maybe as percents, or maybe as a way to communicate other data.

Here are a couple of examples of statistics from an official SAT essay prompt, "Let There Be Dark" by Paul Bogard :

Example : 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way

Example : In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year.

Factual evidence can also be in the form of non-numerical information. Often, you'll see facts presented with references to the research study, survey, expert, or other source from which they're drawn. Here's another example from "Let There Be Dark":

Example : Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen[.]

Why Is It Persuasive?

Facts and statistics are persuasive argument building techniques because the author isn't just making up reasons for why his/her argument could possibly be true— there's actually something (data, research, other events/information) that backs up the author's claim .

In the case of the examples above, Bogard presents specific data about issues with light pollution (8 in 10 children won't be able to see the Milky Way, light in the sky increases 6% annually) to back up his statements that light pollution is real, then goes on to present further information that indicates light pollution is a problem (working the night shift puts humans at risk for cancer).

By presenting information and facts, rather than just opinion and spin, Bogard empowers the reader to connect the dots on her own, which in turn gives the reader ownership over the argument and makes it more persuasive (since the reader is coming to the same conclusions on her own, rather than entirely relying on Bogard to tell her what to think).

Example Type 2: Anecdotes

Another form of evidence that is often used as an alternative to actual facts or statistics is the anecdote. This type of evidence is most often found in speeches or other sorts of essay prompts that are written as a personal address to the reader.

An anecdote is a short story about a real person or event . When an author discusses own personal experience or personal experience of someone they know or have heard of, that's anecdotal evidence.

Here's an example of (part of) an anecdote from an official SAT essay prompt that was adapted from a foreword by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter :

One of the most unforgettable and humbling experiences of our lives occurred on the coastal plain. We had hoped to see caribou during our trip, but to our amazement, we witnessed the migration of tens of thousands of caribou with their newborn calves. In a matter of a few minutes, the sweep of tundra before us became flooded with life, with the sounds of grunting animals and clicking hooves filling the air. The dramatic procession of the Porcupine caribou herd was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife spectacle. We understand firsthand why some have described this special birthplace as “America’s Serengeti.”

Even though anecdotes aren't statistics or facts, they can be powerful because it’s more relatable/interesting to the reader to read an anecdote than to be presented with dry, boring facts. People tend to put more faith in experiences if they can personally connect with the experiences (even though that doesn't actually affect how likely or not a statement is to be true).

In the example above, rather than discussing the statistics that support the creation of wildlife refuges, Jimmy Carter instead uses an anecdote about experiencing the wonder of nature to illustrate the same point—probably more effectively.

By inviting the reader to experience vicariously the majesty of witnessing the migration of the Porcupine caribou, Carter activates the reader's empathy towards wildlife preservation and so makes it more likely that the reader will agree with him that wildlife refuges are important.

Examples of Reasoning

All authors use reasoning to some extent, but it’s not always a major part of how the author builds her/his argument. Sometimes, though, the support for a claim on its own might not seem that persuasive—in those cases, an author might then choose to use reasoning to explain how the evidence presented actually builds the argument.

Example Type 3: Counterarguments and Counterclaims

One way in which an author might use reasoning to persuade the reader to accept the claim being put forward is to discuss a counterargument, or counterclaim, to the author's main point. The discussion (and subsequent neutralization) of counterarguments is found in prompts across all subject areas.

A counterargument or counterclaim is simply another point of view that contradicts (either fully or partially) the author's own argument. When "some might claim," "however," or other contrast words and phrases show up in an essay prompt, the author is likely presenting a counterclaim.

Here's an example of an effective presentation (and negation) of a counter claim from an official SAT essay prompt, "The Digital Parent Trap" by Eliana Dockterman :

“You could say some computer games develop creativity,” says Lucy Wurtz, an administrator at the Waldorf School in Los Altos, Calif., minutes from Silicon Valley. “But I don’t see any benefit. Waldorf kids knit and build things and paint—a lot of really practical and creative endeavors.”

But it’s not that simple. While there are dangers inherent in access to Facebook, new research suggests that social-networking sites also offer unprecedented learning opportunities.

So how does bringing up an opposing point of view help an author build her argument? It may seem counterintuitive that discussing a counterargument actually strengthens the main argument. However, as you can see in the brief example above, giving some space to another point of view serves to make it seem as if the discussion’s going to be more “fair.” This is still true whether the author delves into the counterargument or if the author only briefly mentions an opposing point of view before moving on.

A true discussion of the counterargument  (as is present in Dockterman's article) will   also show a deeper understanding of the topic than if the article only presented a one-sided argument . And because the presence of a counterargument demonstrates that the author knows the topic well enough to be able to see the issue from multiple sides, the reader's more likely to trust that the author's claims are well-thought out and worth believing.

In the case of the Dockterman article, the author not only mentions the opposite point of view but also takes the time to get a quote from someone who supports the opposing viewpoint. This even-handedness makes her following claim that "it's not that simple" more believable, since she doesn't appear to be presenting a one-sided argument.

Example Type 4: Explanation of Evidence

In some cases, the clarity with which the author links her evidence and her claims is integral to the author's argument. As the College Board Official SAT Study Guide says,

Reasoning is the connective tissue that holds an argument together. It’s the “thinking” — the logic, the analysis — that develops the argument and ties the claim and evidence together."

Explanation of evidence is one of the trickier argument-building techniques to discuss (at least in my opinion), because while it is present in many essay prompts, it isn't always a major persuasive feature. You can pretty easily identify an author's explanation of evidence if the author connects a claim to support and explains it , rather than just throwing out evidence without much ceremony or linking to the claim; however, whether or not the explanation of the evidence is a major contributing factor to the author's argument is somewhat subjective.

Here's a pretty clear instance of a case where an author uses explanations of each piece of evidence she discusses to logically advance her argument (again from the Dockterman passage):

And at MIT’s Education Arcade, playing the empire-building game Civilization piqued students’ interest in history and was directly linked to an improvement in the quality of their history-class reports. The reason: engagement. On average, according to research cited by MIT, students can remember only 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear and 50% of what they see demonstrated. But when they’re actually doing something themselves—in the virtual worlds on iPads or laptops—that retention rate skyrockets to 90%. This is a main reason researchers like Ito say the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of a two-hour screen-time limit is an outdated concept: actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV.

Unfortunately, the explanation the Official SAT Study Guide gives for how to discuss an author's "reasoning" is a little vague:

You may decide to discuss how the author uses (or fails to use) clear, logical reasoning to draw a connection between a claim and the evidence supporting that claim.

But how exactly you should go about doing this? And wh y is it persuasive to clearly explain the link between evidence and claim?

In general, when an author explains the logic behind her argument or point, the reader can follow along and understand the author’s argument better (which in some cases makes it more likely the reader will agree with the author).

In the Dockterman example above, the author clearly lays out data ( Civilization leads to improvements in history class), a claim (this is because of engagement with the game and thus the subject material), provides data that back up that claim (retention rate skyrockets when students do things for themselves), and links that smaller claim to a larger concept (actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV).  This clear pattern of data-explanation-more data-more explanation enables the reader to follow along with Dockterman's points. It's more persuasive because, rather than just being told " Civilization leads to improvements in history" and having to take it on faith, the reader is forced to reenact the thinking processes that led to the argument, engaging with the topic on a deeper level.

Examples of Stylistic/Persuasive Elements

This final category of examples is the top layer of argument building. The foundation of a good argument is evidence, which is often explained and elucidated by reasoning, but it is often the addition of stylistic or persuasive elements like an ironic tone or a rhetorical flourish that seals the deal.

Example Type 5: Vivid Language

Vivid language is truly the icing on the persuasive cake. As with explanations of evidence, vivid language can be found across all topics of essay prompts (although it usually plays a larger role when the passage is lacking in more convincing facts or logic).

Vivid language is pretty easy to spot—it shows itself in similes, metaphors, adjectives, or any words that jump out at you that don’t seem to have purely functional purposes . Here are a couple of examples—the first is Paul Bogard again:

…show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light.

This example is relatively restrained, using the metaphor of "a blanket of light" to add emphasis to Bogard's discussion of light pollution. A more striking example can be found in another official SAT essay prompt, adapted from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "Beyond Vietnam—A Time To Break Silence":

Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube.

Vivid language is an effective argument building device because it puts the reader in the author’s shoes and draws them into the passage . If used in moderation, vivid language will also make the topic more interesting for the reader to read, thus engaging them further.

In the excerpt taken from Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech above, the phrase "demonic destructive suction tube" is startling and provocative, meant to rouse the audience's indignation at the injustice and waste of the Vietnam war. If King had left out the second part of the sentence and only said, "Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money," his point would not have had as big of an impact.

Example Type 6: Direct Addresses and Appeals to the Reader

The last category I'll be discussing in this article are direct addresses and appeals to the reader. These stylistic elements are found across all sorts of different passage topics, although as with the previous category, these elements usually play a larger role when the passage is light on facts or logic.

Direct addresses and appeals to the reader are wordings or other stylistic devices specifically designed to provoke a response (often emotional) in the reader . This category covers many different elements, from appeals to emotion to rhetorical questions. Here's an example of an appeal to emotion, taken again from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech:

Perhaps a more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.

And here's an example of a rhetorical question (from the Paul Bogard article):

Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?

Appealing to the emotions , as Martin Luther King, Jr. does in his speech, is an alternate route to persuasion, as it causes readers to emotionally (rather than logically) agree with the author . By describing how the war was causing "their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die," King reminds the reader of the terrible costs of war, playing upon their emotions to get them to agree that the Vietnam War is a mistake, particularly for the poor.

Rhetorical questions , on the other hand, get the readers to step into the author's world. By reading and thinking about the author's question, the reader engages with the topic on a deeper level than if the reader were just given a statement of what the author thinks . In the case of the Bogard example above, the rhetorical question draws the reader into thinking about his/her descendants, a group of people for whom the reader (presumably) only wishes the best, which then puts the reader into a positive mood (assuming the reader likes his/her descendants).

As you can see, these examples of different argumentative techniques can be extracted from a lot of different article types for a wide range of topics . This is because the examples themselves are so meaningful and complex that they can be used to discuss a lot of issues.

The main point is, you don't have to wait until you see the prompt to develop an arsenal of types of argument-building techniques you can use to support your points. Instead, preparing beforehand how you’ll discuss these techniques will save you a lot of time and anxiety when the test rolls around .

What's Next?

If you're reading this article, you probably want to excel on the SAT essay. We've written a bunch of detailed guides to make sure you do.

Start to scratch the surface with our 15 tips to improve your SAT essay score .

Follow our step-by-step guide to writing a high-scoring essay and learn how to get a perfect 8/8/8 on the SAT essay .

Took the old SAT and not sure how the new essay compares to the old? Start with our article about what’s changed with the new SAT essay , then follow along as we  investigate the SAT essay rubric .

Want to score a perfect SAT score? Check out our guide on how to score a perfect SAT score , written by our resident perfect scorer.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

• Study Abroad
• English Literature
• Student Center

Forbest Academy

Sat english: essay sample (2), sat essay sample  (2)   .

 Question: As you read the passage below, consider how Eliana Dockterman uses • evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. • reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. • stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.   Adapted from Eliana Dockterman, “The Digital Parent Trap.” ©2013 by Time Inc. Originally published August 19, 2013.  1. By all measures, this generation of American kids (ages 3 to 18) is the tech-savviest in history: 27% of them use tablets, 43% use smartphones, and 52% use laptops. And in just a few weeks they will start the most tech-saturated school year ever: Los Angeles County alone will spend $30 million on classroom iPads this year, outfitting 640,000 kids by late 2014. 2. Yet, according to the latest findings from the research firm Grunwald Associates, barely half of U.S. parents agree that mobile technology should play a more prominent role in schools. Some are even paying as much as $24,000 to send their kids to monthlong “digital detox” programs like the one at Capio Nightingale Hospital in the U.K.... 3. So who’s right—the mom trying to protect her kids from the perils of new technology or the dad who’s coaching his kids to embrace it? It’s an urgent question at a time when more than 80% of U.S. school districts say they are on the cusp of incorporating Web-enabled tablets into everyday curriculums. 4. For years, the Parental Adage was simple: The less time spent with screens, the better. That thinking stems from, among other things, reports about the rise of cyberbullying...as well as the fact that social media—specifically the sight of others looking happy in photos—can make kids feel depressed and insecure. 5. There’s also a fundamental aversion to sitting kids in front of screens, thanks to decades of studies proving that watching too much TV can lead to obesity, violence and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 6. In that vein, the Waldorf Schools- a consortium of private K-12 schools in North America designed to “connect children to nature” and “ignite passion for lifelong learning”—limit tech in the classroom and bar the use of smartphones, laptops, televisions and even radios at home. “You could say some computer games develop creativity,” says Lucy Wurtz, an administrator at the Waldorf School in Los Altos, Calif., minutes from Silicon Valley. “But I don’t see any benefit. Waldorf kids knit and build things and paint—a lot of really practical and creative endeavors.” 7. But it’s not that simple. While there are dangers inherent in access to Facebook, new research suggests that social-networking sites also offer unprecedented learning opportunities. “Online, kids can engage with specialized communities of interest,” says Mimi Ito, an anthropologist at the University of California at Irvine who’s studying how technology affects young adults. “They’re no longer limited by what’s offered in school.” 8. Early tech use has cognitive benefits as well. Although parenting experts have questioned the value of educational games- as Jim Taylor, author of Raising Generation Tech, puts it, “they’re a load of crap... meant to make money”—new studies have shown they can add real value. In a recent study by SRI, a nonprofit research firm, kids who played games like Samorost (solving puzzles) did 12% better on logic tests than those who did not. And at MIT’s Education Arcade, playing the empire-building game Civilization piqued students’ interest in history and was directly linked to an improvement in the quality of their history-class reports. 9. The reason: engagement. On average, according to research cited by MIT, students can remember only 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear and 50% of what they see demonstrated. But when they’re actually doing something themselves- in the virtual worlds on iPads or laptops—that retention rate skyrockets to 90%. 10. This is a main reason researchers like Ito say the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of a two-hour screen-time limit is an outdated concept: actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV. 11   The most convincing argument for early-age tech fluency, however, is more basic: staying competitive. “If you look at applying for college or a job, that’s on the computer,” says Shawn Jackson, principal of Spencer Tech, a public school in one of Chicago’s lower-income neighborhoods. Ditto the essential skills for jobs in fast-growing sectors such as programming, engineering and biotechnology. “If we’re not exposing our students to this stuff early,” Jackson continues, “they’re going to be left behind.”... 12. None of this means kids deserve unfettered access to the gadget of their choice- especially if, as McGrath notes, they’ve already been caught abusing it. As with any childhood privilege, monitoring is key. But parents should keep an open mind about the benefits of tech fluency.  

Model Answer  

Grade 7 English: Vocabulary Review for Middle School Students 10

Grade 7 English: Vocabulary Review for Middle School Students 9

Grade 7 English: Vocabulary Review for Middle School Students 8

Grade 7 English: Vocabulary Review for Middle School Students 7

Grade 7 English: Vocabulary Review for Middle School Students 6

The TOEFL Junior Tests

CELPIP and IELTS Comparison

SAT Math Test Introduction

Expression Idiomatique 2 | French Idioms 2

The Mark on the Wall Read Along

The Masque of the Red Death Read Along

• Tutoring Programs
• Learning Resources
• Educational Videos
• Who are we?
• Refund Policy
• Address：401-5811 Cooney Rd, Richmond, BC
• Address：3030-8171 Ackroyd Rd, Richmond, BC
• Telephone：604-370-0579 & 604-370-2569
• Email：[email protected]
• Address：268 QingYang Rd, 3rd Floor, LiangXi, WuXi District, JiangSu, China
• Telephone: 181-1861-8855

Copyright 2021 Forbest Academy  福拜思教育 技术支持: 南通网站制作 -->

The Thing That’s Missing From Our Conversations About Kids and Phones

W e’ve all seen the data around phones, social media, and the youth mental health crisis and we know: this generation of children has staggering rates of anxiety and depression. I’m as concerned as anyone, and yet, I’ve been shocked that one key word—really, a key foundational principle in life— has been left out of the conversation: boundaries.

As a clinical psychologist specializing in parenting and family relationships, I have noticed a trend of swapping out important boundaries with keeping kids happy. Here’s the thing: kids have always pushed limits and asked for things that aren’t good for them; in fact, this is part of a kid doing their job, as they’re meant to explore the world and figure out the “edges” or limits. And while kids continue to do their job, parents are really struggling to do theirs—and as a result, the family system is off-balance and mental health is suffering.

The cost of not being able to set boundaries with kids has never been higher. Decades ago, if parents struggled to hold boundaries and tolerate pushback, a child may have had an extra cupcake or stayed out too late. Today the cost of not being able to set boundaries looks more like freely scrolling TikTok at age 8 or playing endless hours of video games at the expense of participating in the real world. I agree that we are facing a crisis—but I don’t see only a crisis of phones and social media. I also see a crisis of what I call “Sturdy Leadership” at a time when our kids need it more than ever.

What do I mean by Sturdy Leadership? Sturdy Leadership is a model of parental authority where parents both hold boundaries and stay connected to a child or, actually, improve connection through these moments. They do this by validating their child’s feelings while holding firm on what is best for everyone. This is the same model that’s effective in the workplace or on a sports team—a leader who can stay true to their principles and who cares about other people’s feelings without being taken over by them.

So what does this look like in practice? Imagine your 5 year old wants you to buy a toy at a toy store—even though you explicitly said you were only going in to buy a birthday present for a cousin. Your 5 year old starts begging for a toy and you feel a tantrum coming on. Sturdy Leadership, in response, would look like: “I get it. It’s hard to see so many fun toys and not get something. Today I’m only buying a toy for your cousin. I can take a picture of what you want so we can remember it later. I love you, we’ll get through this.”

You can think of it like a math equation: Validation of feelings + holding boundaries = Sturdy Leadership.

What about an example with an older child? Imagine you just told your 12-year-old daughter “no” when she asked to have a sleepover, and she is—understandably—annoyed with you about not getting what she wants. In this moment, Sturdy Leadership could look something like this: “One of my main jobs is to make decisions that I think are good for you, even when you’re upset with me. This is one of those times. I get that you’re upset, I really do.” In this example the parent validated their child’s feelings while holding firm on their decision to do what they believe is best.

Here’s why boundary setting—early and often—is so important: When the day comes that our kids ask for a phone or for Instagram, our approach will not be isolated to some universally recognized “media policy” we have as parents; our approach will simply be an extension of the way we’ve always interacted with our kids around their wants and requests.

Read More: How Dr. Becky Became the Millennial Parenting Whisperer

As much as I’m a fan of boundaries, I’m an even bigger fan of this idea: It’s never too late, the right time to change is always right now. So if you’re a parent who already gave your kids a phone or access to social media and you wish you had held back, all is not lost. Think about yourself like a pilot who always has the right to return to base should the skies be more turbulent than expected—in fact, this is something passengers would want a pilot to do, even if they seem annoyed in the moment. You are the pilot of your family plane—and while your kid will never thank you outright for changing your rules, they will, years later, very much benefit from your sturdiness and acts of protection.

The key is to start with small steps. For example, this could be a conversation with your kid that looks something like this: “I’ve been doing a lot of reading on phones, social media and your health. I am responsible for your well-being and safety. I know it will not be easy, but beginning tonight, we’re all going to keep our phones outside our bedrooms when we turn in for the night.” In this example, the parent is embodying their authority with boundaries and warmth, and this new rule is from a place of protection, not punishment.

My life’s work has been to help parents become confident, Sturdy Leaders so they can raise confident, sturdy kids. We know that phones and social media are impeding our kids’ ability to flourish, but parents need more support. We need to expand the conversation so that rather than feeling locked in fear, parents know the practical skills they can build to bring change and support their kids.

More Must-Reads from TIME

• How the Economy is Doing in the Swing States
• Harris Battles For the Bro Vote
• Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election
• Mel Robbins Will Make You Do It
• Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
• You Don’t Have to Dread the End of Daylight Saving
• The 20 Best Halloween TV Episodes of All Time
• Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders

Contact us at [email protected]