Due to the excess of information constantly coming through different channels, today’s teenagers have a lack of communication with themselves. Left without the usual gadgets, they will get an interesting experience of self-discovery.
Recently, I decided to do a little research. The experiment involved 68 girls and boys aged 12-18 from among my friends or clients. They were to spend eight hours alone doing whatever they chose. The only restriction: do not use any electronic devices (TV, radio, computer, telephone, etc.). The next day they were all invited to my office to talk about their thoughts and feelings during the experiment. My working hypothesis was that today’s teenagers, due to the excess of information constantly coming through different channels, have developed a lack of communication with themselves. Left without the usual gadgets, they will get an interesting experience of self-discovery.
The results were not only unexpected, but even slightly frightening. All teenagers initially had a plan – how exactly they would spend this day. However, only three managed to complete the experiment. All the rest at different times interrupted him, as their health deteriorated sharply. “It seemed to me that my head would burst”, “I ran around the room, I couldn’t do anything”, “all the time my hand reached out to open the box and take the remote control” … 20 boys and 7 girls described the physiological symptoms of malaise: a headache, trembling hands, dry mouth, nausea, chills. Almost everyone experienced a vague fear, “stupid thoughts” appeared in their heads. Only six people mentioned the joy and interest from meeting with myself (which I so counted on), and even then they completely disappeared by the third hour of solitude.
Create an environment in which they can learn to find things to do in the real world.
It is curious that, having interrupted the experiment, only five went to visit friends or to the yard. All the rest turned on the TV, computer, called on the mobile phone, immediately turned on the music. Comprehending the results of the experiment, the majority of adolescents themselves directly spoke about the revealed addiction – “it turns out, I can’t live without …”, “it was like withdrawal” … 53 teenagers recognized the experiment as useful for themselves – “now I know about it and I can do something “.
Teenagers are not just not able to occupy themselves. Left without the usual gadgets, they begin to experience the most severe sensory deprivation. But they didn’t come up with this world stuffed with electronics. Therefore, our task as responsible adults is to show how to draw emotions from different sources. How many people know how useful it is to draw with children? Invent stories with sequels? Sawing, planing, knocking together shelves and stools? Search for “treasures” on “pirate” maps? Build huts and tree houses? How many parents taught their children to keep a diary, to recognize and describe their feelings? But in this way the child gets a chance, left alone with himself, to see at this time for creativity.