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This week, a bill I drafted to create a working group to study the impact of technology on children’s cognitive function was introduced to the Senate. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, and I’m confident Governor Reynolds will sign it into law. For too long we haven’t understood the long-term implications of technology on children. Technology has proven to have many negative consequences such as increasing obesity rates, decreasing self-esteem, negatively impacting children’s social skills, decreasing attention spans, creating road blocks in developing critical thinking, and impairing gratification systems. A current study has found teenagers spend up to nine hours a day on their screens, and children eight to twelve years old spend four to six hours per day. As parents, educators, legislators and a state we must know in-depth the impact of sitting behind a screen for many hours a day.

Author: Jim Carlin

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