I don’t have kids myself, but I’ve been noticing something with the children of friends and family lately and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Every time I see them… nephews, friends’ kids, children at family gatherings… the moment something requires sitting still and focusing without a screen involved, there’s this almost physical resistance. Books, puzzles, drawing. Things that used to just be… what children did. It takes about 30 seconds before someone’s asking for a phone.
I mentioned it to a friend who’s a primary school teacher and she said it’s the single biggest thing she deals with now. Not behaviour, not ability, just the inability to settle into something that doesn’t give instant feedback.
Then I read about what Sweden has done… they basically reversed 15 years of tablet-led classrooms and went back to physical textbooks after reading comprehension and concentration scores started dropping noticeably. And apparently 28% of children starting school in England now try to swipe the pages of physical books. They’ve only ever really known touchscreens.
I’m not saying this to be alarmist or anti-technology. But it got me thinking seriously about whether there’s something missing, something simple, physical, and genuinely engaging that children would actually want to do that doesn’t involve a screen.
— Does this match what you’re seeing with your own kids, or am I observing something that isn’t really there?
— Would something like a monthly subscription box to help kids get off their phones and use their brains again get used, or would it end up forgotten after week two?
— What would make you subscribe? What would make you cancel?
— Is there something like this already out there that I’ve missed?
Brutal honesty genuinely welcome