[jcpst]

> Educators say their tried and true lesson plans are no longer enough to keep students engaged at a time of struggling mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening academic performance. At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones.

Yes, cell phones are a problem. But what keeps getting ignored, by practically everyone, is the detrimental effect of letting covid spread unchecked.

Kids get long covid, we know this now. It represents differently in kids than adults. This can have a direct affect on their performance at school, including the symptoms described above.

Getting multiple covid infections increases your risk of long covid. We are failing to take even the simplest of precautions to protect our children. This will impact their everyday life, including academic performance.

I fully expect people will downvote this due to the mass denial that the pandemic is not over. That's fine. But I know there are people reading that actually pay attention to what Epidemiologists are saying, rather than relying on hearsay or institutions motivated to keep the economy propped up in the short term.

[eesmith]

Whatever effect COVID has on education appears far smaller than smartphones, based on changes in schools when phones are effectively prohibited during school.

Eg, https://www.businessinsider.com/high-school-teacher-all-scho...

Anecdotal, agreed, but that's true of your hypothesis too.

[remram]

Are you saying kids are only so absorbed by their phones because they all have long COVID?

[jcpst]

Umm. What.