It might be a smart idea for parents to take away the smartphones from their children, if they want them to grow up and become doctors or scientists.
Imperial College London professor of surgical education Roger Kneebone claims students don’t have a basic understanding of the physical world because of the “decline in hands-on creative subjects at school and practical hobbies at home”; and that “students spend so much time online instead of being creative or involved in hobbies that they lack vital practical skills necessary to conduct life-saving operations.”
He claimed that cutting back on creative subjects at school had a negative impact on the tactile skills necessary for a career in medicine or science.
College Prep Genius CEO Jean Burk said technology should be a tool not a crutch.
"We have kids spending eight, nine, 10 hours a day on some sort of technology. If your kids are awake, they're somewhere online," said Burke. "You can see when they come into a skill set like becoming a doctor, that they're already behind.”
Burke cites than in one minute there are:
- 48 hours of video uploaded to YouTube
- 687,000 FaceBook shares
- 2 million Google searches
Kelsey Seybold's Dr. Steffanie Campbell said she even sees that in her own children and that a constant 2D screen really is a disservice to children.
"When they don't do as much hands-on, they really don't understand how the world around them works," said Campbell. "If you don't develop understand how things work in 3D and fit together, then it's going to be very difficult."