The Ministry of Education’s response to Mr Joel Chan Yi-Hsiung and Mr Andrew Soo is a reiteration of its long-held position and has not adequately addressed the call to give parents greater autonomy and optionality in managing their children’s use of personal learning devices (Schools, parents can guide usage of digital devices by students with app, April 16).

There are many studies demonstrating the negative effects of screen media use on executive functioning, sensorimotor development and academic outcomes. The decline of working memory and inhibition in children are also empirically evidenced. 

While it is possible to quickly and easily gain advanced digital skills even in your 20s and 30s, it is more challenging to “quickly and easily” gain executive functioning then. The ability to focus over an extended period, inhibit impulses, resist distractions, exercise self-control and cogitate flexibly will develop more slowly past the critical period. 

The trade-offs of this digital learning experience are beginning to manifest themselves in ways that parents find unacceptable. As the ministry also believes in a tailored approach towards learning, it should reckon that not all children are equally suited for an intensely digital environment at their age. 

Parents are indeed “crucial partners in guiding their children to be discerning in their online interactions and use of digital devices”.

Such discernment would include varying degrees of digital abstinence, best decided by parents, not teachers or educational institutions. If ultimate responsibility lies with the parents, ultimate authority rests with them.

As such, I urge the ministry to respect and support parents’ right to determine what is best for their children in terms of digital usage. Giving parents optionality is important ^_ without which, it is subtle coercion, not partnership. A less tech-intensive learning environment does not reduce the quality of education.

Toh Wei Hong