[ExI] The Internet has changed US kids

[BillK]

American Children Losing Motivation and Creativity, Teachers Say
By Jackson Elliott March 6, 2022

<https://www.theepochtimes.com/american-children-losing-motivation-and-creativity-teachers-say_4309077.html>

Quotes:
American children are less creative and less motivated than past
generations. When teachers compare today’s children with their peers
from only a few years ago, there’s a clear difference, according to
Page Park, an Indiana teacher with 24 years of experience.

“They don’t know how to think for themselves, too. I do have a few
kids that are really good at problem-solving, but not as many. They’re
not good at problem-solving,” she said.

Park said that since she first started teaching, creativity has
declined. Students today don’t look for solutions to simple problems.

When Park looks at her classroom, she sees a disconnected generation.

Page Park, an experienced Indiana teacher, says that kids today aren’t
as creative or motivated as kids in the past.  “They talk about games
a lot. They never talk about going outside. They talk about staying up
late. Their sleep rhythms are awful,” Park said.

With access to the internet and parents who quickly intervene instead
of letting kids struggle a little, children approach life as if
someone else will always solve their problems, she said.

“Every little problem that they have is immediately solved for them.
And if it can’t be solved by their parents, they just find a resource
online.”

Psychologists call this sort of dependence on others “learned
helplessness.” When parents help their children too much, children
conclude that they don’t have agency.

The problems caused by learned helplessness resemble the problems
caused by too much time online. They include depression,
underachievement, and anxiety.
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Quite a long article. The older generation has always complained about
"kids these days!", but there does seem to be something strange with
kids today.

BillK