DIGITAL DERELICTION: VALUE IN GOING OFFLINE

I welcome the commitment by the Opposition to ban phones and tablets in schools and provide a fund of $2.5 million into researching screen addiction for youths. 

Technology is not something that can be or should be fought against. Technology is something to embrace but it is also something that must be moderated and understood. 

Laptops, videogames, social media, mobile phones, tablets, smart watches and now ChatGPT are all incredibly powerful tools. Information has never been easier to access than it has been today. 

However, the introduction of new technology is rarely without its downsides or indeed risks. 

Cyberbullying is a relatively new and ugly phenomena that has serious impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of students from all ages in all schools. 

Despite technology educational results have not improved. Indeed, the Productivity Commission released a report on the 20th of January 2023 concluding that reading and numeracy results have been steadily falling since 2018. 

In a 2021 study Microsoft Corp found that the new attention span for adults is eight seconds before mentally focusing on another task. Where do you think that adults learned these habits?

ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence program was released on the 30th of November 2022, this program responds to (and learns from) commands from users in the form of informative text. However, ChatGPT is now so advanced that it can produce text based work for students such as essays, it is so unique that it cannot be detected by anti-plagerism programs such as Turnitin. 

In offline studies students are able to interact with theirs peers and teachers without interference from devices that are designed to distract. 

In offline studies students are not faced with impossibly perfect bodies and images on social media that they will need be able to attain. 

In using pen and paper students are forced to rely on their lessons, readings, experiences and ability rather than technology assisting them in their work. 

In using pen and paper ChatGPT and other electronic crutches are not a factor.  

I strongly support a return to paper notebooks, pens and pencils. I strongly support students learning how to focus on tasks rather than being distracted by notifications on social media. 

So, I again welcome this commitment and I expect the State Government to as well.