To Tech or Not To Tech? What if This Isn't The Question?
When Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation was published in 2024, it provided a lot of adults (educators and caregivers alike) with the language to describe growing concerns around screen-time. Some very meaningful conversations about kids, phones, social media, and developing brains followed. I read the book shortly after it was published and, while I found some ideas compelling, I also found other bits to be... well, alarmist. But perhaps that was the point.
Around the same time, I read Anna Lembke's Dopamine Nation, which I found to be the more compelling of the two. Lembke's exploration of feel good chemicals, neuroligical reward, and what happens when our brains exist in environments where pleasurable stimuli are available almost constantly gave me another lens through which to think about not only our kids' relationship with technology, but also my own.
Since then, the conversation about screen-time has reached a fever pitch. Schools are banning cell phones. Teachers are being asked to seriously limit how often their learners are on devices. Parents are pushing for schools to cut their investment in technology. And increasingly, kids being glued to devices is being positioned as yet another way schools are "failing kids."
It’s Complicated
For those of us who are old enough to remember when Facebook relationship statuses were a thing, I’m increasingly convinced that “It’s complicated” might be the most accurate way to describe what the research actually tells us about kids, screens, and developing brains. Importantly, while researchers are still working to understand these connections, and we should be cautious about confusing correlation with causation, there’s still plenty here worth paying attention to:
Heavy screen use has been associated with differences in developing brains. Researchers have found associations between higher levels of screen exposure and differences in brain regions and networks involved in attention, executive function, language, reward processing, and emotional regulation.
Screens can interfere with sleep. Higher levels of screen use, particularly around bedtime, have consistently been associated with later bedtimes, shorter sleep duration, and poorer sleep.
Some digital experiences can be extraordinarily addictive. Social media, games, notifications, and other digital environments/features can provide frequent and unpredictable rewards, engaging the same reward-learning systems that help shape our behavior - both on and offline.
Heavy screen use has been associated with poorer outcomes in areas including attention, mental health, and cognitive development. The size and consistency of these relationships vary considerably depending on the age of the child, type of media, and outcome being measured, and association does not necessarily mean causation. Still, the patterns are significant enough to warrant our attention.
And screens take up time that has to come from somewhere. When screen use displaces sleep, physical activity, face-to-face interaction, reading, outdoor time, or unstructured play, kids lose access to experiences we already know support healthy development.
But this is also where I think nuance matters. Taking these findings seriously doesn't mean we have to stop asking questions. In fact, I think it means we should ask more of them. What kind of screen-time are we talking about? How old are our learners? What are they doing on that screen? What might they be doing instead? And is the technology actually helping them do something more meaningfully than they could accomplish without it? If we're going to make decisions about technology based on what the research tells us, then it's crucial we also understand that we're all still figuring this out.
“Screen-time” is a pretty blunt measurement. An hour spent scrolling through algorithmically selected videos isn't necessarily equivalent to an hour spent FaceTiming Grandma, composing music, researching a question, creating digital art, or collaborating with classmates. Increasingly, researchers are looking beyond how long kids are on screens to consider what they're doing there, with whom, and why. (Note: I'm talking about kids actually creating stuff here, not using a Large Language Model to skip the process and go straight to the product).
Age and developmental stage matter. Kids' ability to regulate attention, understand what they encounter online, navigate social experiences, and make decisions about their own technology use changes as they develop, which makes universal declarations about “kids and screens” difficult.
The neuroscience is still emerging. Studies connecting screen use to differences in developing brains can sound pretty alarming, but much of this research is relatively new. Researchers themselves have called for larger samples, replication, and more longitudinal studies that follow kids over time. And newer, larger studies haven't always found the same relationships suggested by earlier research. In other words, what we know so far is absolutely worth paying attention to, AND also we're a long way from having the whole picture.
This isn't (only) about schools. Even though saddling teachers with the burden of solving all of society's ills (while also making sure kids pass standardized tests which, by the way, are now all online) is a long-standing American tradition, a substantial portion of kids' screen use happens outside the classroom, too. And speaking of tech in school...
Analog isn't automatically better. Replacing a meaningful digital learning experience with a worksheet may result in less screen-time, but that doesn't necessarily result in better learning.
Librarians To The Rescue!
To be sure, many librarians are early tech-adopters. What's more, in many school districts, librarians have assumed the role of technology specialists in their schools, managing district-issued student devices, providing tech support to adults and kids alike and modeling what effective use of technology in all manner of lessons can look like.
And at the same time... as schools reconsider the role screens should play in children's days, librarians have an opportunity to remind their communities that libraries have always been about protecting some of the skills and experiences that Mr. Rogers referred to as the real work of childhood. I'm talking about lingering, noticing, wondering, making, building, imagining, and, of course, playing.
I've been thinking about this opportunity a lot lately, thanks, in part, to First Book and LEGO. Earlier this year, LEGO Education launched its Playful Libraries campaign, an initiative designed to help librarians create more opportunities for learning through play. Then, more recently, I had the chance to experience some of these ideas firsthand when I joined First Book for an event centered around LEGO's Build the Change program.
Although my part of the presentation had to be limited to around 30 minutes, I tried to use my short time to help librarians see a potential idea for how LEGO could be used as a tool for sparking excitement around reading and books.
Of course, just as providing kids access to digital devices doesn't guarantee an equitable or meaningful learning experience, neither does providing access to physical building materials like LEGO bricks. But one of the reasons I love LEGO so much is because, when paired with the right instructional moves, those humble little bricks can help teachers create meaningful opportunities for kids to use their hands, their heads, and their hearts at the same time. And, for librarians, LEGO is the perfect partner for creating playful new pathways into something we already care deeply about: books and reading.
Since this virtual event, I've received a number of questions about how to replicate the activity I shared with kids (see slide deck above) so here are some ideas/resources to help.
Part 1: Build a Book of Your Heart!
Start by inviting readers to think about a book whose cover they’d want to recreate with LEGO bricks. For some kids, that choice can be about their existing connection to a specific title. However, for kids who haven't yet found a book of their heart, the selection process can mirror the one they might use when adding books to a To Be Read (TBR) list. Encourage kids to look for authors or series they either already enjoy or are curious about. Give them permission to go on vibes. Despite the old adage to the contrary, we all judge books by their covers! It's fine to pick a book whose cover speaks to them in some way. And, just as a TBR isn't a commitment, it's fine to select a book they're curious about, but are still on the fence about reading.
Once they've picked the perfect book, share the following tips to help guide their builds:
Toss perfection out the window! The goal isn't to produce an exact replica. Rather, encourage kids to use their build to capture the parts of the cover they are drawn to most.
Focus on colors, ideas, and general shapes. (This would be a great time for a mini-lesson on impressionist art!)
Skip the words! Not only will they be tough to replicate, but leaving off the title and author will be essential to part two of the activity.
And speaking of part two, before we get there, here are some questions I've gotten about the activity as a whole.
How many bricks will I need? There's no magic number, but for the flat, mosaic-style builds I shared, I'd plan for roughly 100 assorted bricks per team of builders. (I like to have kids work in pairs.) That doesn't mean every team will use all 100 bricks. Having a larger shared supply simply gives builders enough variety in colors, shapes, and sizes to make choices as they work. For ten kids, I'd aim for around 1,000 bricks; for twenty, around 2,000; and so on. And remember, building with a partner not only stretches your brick supply, it creates opportunities for kids to collaborate, problem solve, and negotiate their ideas together.
Eeek! That's a lot of bricks! Okay, technically that isn't a question, but you're right... it is a lot of bricks. And I get that building materials in general can be pricey. When I was a school librarian, I asked for donations and got a lot of bricks from thrift stores. That said, once my principal saw the value, she was willing to put a little money toward the purchase of more. After all, LEGO bricks aren't consumable. Once you make an investment, they are a resource that can be used over and over again.
How long does this activity take? I find that most kids need between 60–90 minutes to complete their build. So... in an elementary school setting, that typically means two to four class periods, which may occur over an equivalent number of weeks. For secondary schools, that can be one or two periods. That said, I've also found that kids are often so excited about their builds, they want to come to the library during lunch or recess to work on them, which can speed up the process.
Part 2: Guess the Book from the Build.
This is where the activity shifts from an opportunity for kids to practice everything from fine motor skills to collaboration, and problem solving into a readers' advisory activity that I have found generates REAL book buzz.
Once the builds are complete, put them on display and invite other readers to see if they can guess which book inspired each one.
There are lots of ways to do this. If you can't take up any more class time for this work, use passive programming by numbering each build and giving readers a way to submit their guesses. You might set out paper ballots and a submission box, create a simple answer sheet, or provide a QR code linking to a digital form. If you have the materials, you could even invite kids to drop their guesses into individual containers placed beside each build.
You can also turn the guessing into a whole-class activity. Display each build one at a time and invite kids to turn and talk to a classmate about their guesses before sharing with the whole class. You could also use a digital tool like Slido or Padlet. (Notice how I'm including safe and purposeful uses of technology here?)
Regardless of how you collect guesses and build anticipation, using the reveal as an opportunity to talk about books and why we love them is a next-level readers' advisory move! Once kids discover which book inspired the build, give them a chance to learn more about it. Display the actual book alongside the build, add a short book talk from the builder, or include a QR code in the display that leads to an interview with the author, book trailer, etc. When I tell you that you should have multiple copies of each book on hand, I mean it. Be prepared for these books to circulate and for their hold lists to grow!
No Bricks? No Worries!
Obviously, these ideas are dependent on having access to LEGO bricks. If that's not your reality (yet!) in addition to adapting this to other materials, you are also welcome to use my slide deck (above) as way to engage kids in part two of the activity. That said, you may notice that the my slides are set to read-only. The options for downloading your own copy have been disabled. There was a time when I felt I didn't need to lock down such things, but y'all... I've grown weary of finding the materials I create and give away for free being sold by other people. So here we are. Still, I hope you find it (and everything else I have shared!) useful.
Asking Better Questions
As schools continue wrestling with concerns about screen-time and technology use more broadly, I think we have an opportunity to ask better questions. Instead of simply asking, How much screen-time is too much? or How can we get kids off their devices? what if we also asked:
What do we want kids to be doing with the time they currently spend on devices?
What kinds of hands-on, playful experiences might screens be replacing?
When does technology make a learning experience richer, more accessible, or more meaningful?
When might kids benefit more from using their hands, talking with one another, moving around, making something, wondering, or just... playing?
And what tools, digital or otherwise, will best help us create those experiences?
To me, the answers to all of these questions, and indeed the process of asking them, should include libraries and librarians. After all, librarians have always worked in spaces where seemingly competing things can coexist and, more significantly, work together beautifully. Books and technology? YES! Quiet, individual work and noisy collaboration? More YES! Research and play? YES! YES! YES! Librarians do all of this and so much more!
Y'all, I don't think we have to choose between preparing kids for a digital world and ensuring the time they need to imagine, play and connect is prioritized. What's more, I question the motives (or lack of imagination) of those who position this as a binary. While riding the pendulum from one extreme to the other is often easy and, sometimes satisfying, few kids are served by the far end of either view, or the increasingly loud debates raging between the two.
As I wrap up this post, I'm reminded of these words from Katha Pollit's Reading Books, Great or Otherwise:
"Why, ask yourself, is everyone so hot under the collar about what to put on the required reading shelf? It is because while we have been arguing so fiercely about which books make the best medicine, the patient has been slipping deeper and deeper into a coma."
Swap out books for some form of technology or screen-time and the sentiment holds.
I'm old enough to remember when school districts (hello, LA Unified) started deciding that their school librarians could be replaced with iPads and paraprofessionals. For years, we've been fooled into believing the very capitalistic notion that education should be focused on efficiency and production. And while I am deeply suspicious of the current tendency to label everything in education a crisis, it doesn't feel hyperbolic to say that we're currently reaping the very real consequences of those choices. So... rather than allowing this conversation to be hijacked by false choices that position "tech" and "no tech" as opposing and equivalent options, I hope we can find a way to focus on what our kids actually need more of, and then use what we've learned to select the right resources (digital, analog, and human) for the job.
