An interesting article appeared in the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper on the 18th. The article was titled “What are the distortions of digital education?” and said that the longer ICT is used in class, the lower the learning achievement. This was revealed in an OECD survey, which said that the longer ICT is used, the lower the ability to think for oneself, such as reading comprehension and mathematical literacy. In fact, Europe is concerned about this trend, and Sweden, for example, is trying to return digital textbooks to paper textbooks.
The article also pointed out health concerns. It cited negative effects on mental health, such as a decline in eyesight, sleep, emotional inhibition, and depression.
It is true that ICT is extremely effective as a tool for looking up the meaning of words, communication, collaboration, and automation. That is why companies are actively using it to improve productivity, but it does not seem to be necessarily effective in the true essence of education, which is to think carefully about a topic and develop flexible thinking. Even if it seems tedious and inefficient at first glance, manual work using paper and pencil may be better at developing thinking skills and flexible thinking.
Even after they become adults, today’s children will continue to use ICT in their lives. They will likely be involved with ICT until they die. For this reason, becoming familiar with ICT at an early stage and learning to use it proficiently is an important step. However, learning how to use ICT and cultivating thinking and imagination skills must be considered separate things.
Initially, it was thought that studying using ICT would kill two birds with one stone, as it would also allow children to learn how to use ICT and make their studies more efficient. However, in reality, it does not seem to work that way.
This is what I imagine. What will happen to a child who is able to use ICT fluently but lacks thinking and imagination skills when he or she becomes an adult? Perhaps without realizing it, they will become enslaved to AI and live a life where nothing goes the way they want it to. (Kei Kitajima)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI