LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Analyze the influence of technology on health, recognize ways tech designers hook users, and strategize to find balance.

HEALTH ED STANDARD

Analyze the influence technology has on both personal and family health. (NHES 2)

KEY VOCAB

coincidence, dopamine, primitive, ignite, tinkering, hacking, overt, engage, compulsively, persona, authentic, isolating

Lesson Plan: Are You Addicted to Your Phone?

People often joke about how teens are addicted to devices, but with game and app designers working to get people hooked, digital addiction is a real problem. Teens will learn some of the tricks, and identify ways to strike balance.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What can I do to make sure I maintain a balanced relationship with my digital devices?

Have students read the article "Are You Addicted to Your Phone?"


 CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS

  1. What happened to trigger Caleb’s gaming addiction? His parents split up, then his mom remarried and he had to move. Gaming became a way for him to cope with being the new kid at school. 
  2. What is the brain’s dopamine response, and how do app and game designers use it to get you hooked? It’s the part of our brain that releases a pleasurable hormone when we get a reward. Notifications are designed to trigger that response. 
  3. What is a Snapstreak, and how does it hook users? It’s when you and a friend have to message each other at least once every 24 hours to keep a “streak” going on Snapchat. Since nobody wants to let the streak die, users return at least once a day to the app.

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 CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS

  1. How is your relationship with your devices? Do you feel like you have a nice balance? Explain. Answers will vary. 
  2. What are some rites of passages that people can miss out on if they spend too much time on their screens? Which of those are you looking forward to, and how could too much screen time interfere? Possible answers: Dating, getting a job, and participating in sports, theater, or band. I’m looking forward to dating when I get older, and if I spend too much time online, I might not make time for that. 
  3. What are your thoughts on app developers and designers trying to get you hooked? Do you think it’s right for them to use tricks to hijack the teenage brain? Answers will vary.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

MAKING CONNECTIONS

NHES 6

It can be difficult to stay on task with all of the distractions at our fingertips. Using the TIME MANGEMENT MOTIVATOR to guide them, students will create a goal for themselves to help them stay focused when they work. Limiting distractions from phones, tablets, laptops, and video games will increase productivity, and make time on devices even more of a treat. 

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

NHES 2

As digital technology has taken hold of so many areas of life, it can be difficult to step back, slow down, and observe how we feel about it. Using the DIGITAL DETOX activity sheet, students will plan an afternoon to try and go tech-free and then reflect on the experience.

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