The Disastrous Effect of Screens and Artificial Intelligence in Education

Sophie Winkleman delivers a speech reasonably criticizing the mass invasion of screens and artificial intelligence in classrooms, calling for an urgent return to traditional physical textbooks.

Loss of Children's Imagination and Parental Resistance

Sophie Winkleman begins with a story about a primary school teacher who finds that her students no longer have the capacity to play outside and create their own entertainment. The speaker explains that the constant stimulation from devices completely deactivates children's minds and destroys their imagination. She notes the paradox that, despite the proven harm at home, educational institutions turn machines into the primary channel for learning.

In response to this, a strong parental resistance is emerging against educational technologies, known as "EdTech". Parents report numerous health and behavioral problems in their children caused by mandatory screen time:

• Headaches and deteriorated vision.
• Irritability, disrupted sleep, and loss of attention spans.
• Unobstructed access to inappropriate content due to malfunctioning school filters.

Global Movements for Returning to Paper

Winkleman points out a number of successful initiatives to limit screens in schools. In Los Angeles, local authorities approved a large-scale reduction in screen time, supported by data showing a drastic drop in cognitive skills.

Similar actions are being taken in Madrid, Glasgow, as well as at the state level in Denmark and Sweden, where millions are being invested to bring back textbooks. The speaker emphasizes that educational apps use the same manipulative attention-retention tactics as social networks, including daily rewards and endless notifications. In her view, these features serve solely the engagement business model, rather than any real improvement in learning.

Neurological Advantages of Physical Learning

Reading from a physical page and writing by hand are fundamentally different and more efficient processes than using screens. Winkleman refers to neuroscientists who prove that the brain needs time to process information, which the quiet reading of a book provides in a completely natural way.

Large-scale international tests show that students who solve problems on paper achieve results equivalent to six months of additional schooling compared to those working on a computer. Therefore, leading experts insist on more learning through practical physical actions and fewer electronic devices. While technology is useful for children with special needs, the speaker is categorical that it should not dictate the way of learning for the majority.

Social Inequality and the Threat of Artificial Intelligence

Winkleman pays special attention to the fact that elite schools and technology leaders are increasingly restricting screens and returning to book-based learning. At the same time, poorer children are left with digital substitutes and robotic chatbots, which inevitably deepens educational inequality and deprives students of vital human contact.

The speaker describes the influx of artificial intelligence as a true civilizational threat to the cognitive development of children. She warns that students naturally choose the easiest path and use chatbots for automated writing of their assignments, thereby skipping the critically important process of independent learning and analysis. These systems often fabricate facts and create a long-term cognitive dependency among adolescents.

In conclusion, Winkleman calls for technology to be studied only as a separate subject, while for everything else, the educational system should use physical books, which are proven to be more ecological and beneficial. According to her, adults have the right to personal choice, but they must not impose their technological dependency on children, who deserve knowledge delivered through real human contact.