Preschools should no longer be required to use digital tools.
– There is an awful lot of science behind the fact that you learn best in analog environments, says Education Minister Lotta Edholm (L).
The government commissions the Swedish National Agency for Education to draw up new guidelines for digital tools in preschool. The current requirement that every child be allowed to use digital tools must be scrapped.
– Preschools that do not do this today may receive criticism from the School Inspectorate. This is of course not reasonable, says Education Minister Lotta Edholm (L).
“Back to basics”
She describes it as the preschool going “back to basics”.
– There is an awful lot of science behind the fact that you learn best in analog environments. It also reduces the risk of being sedentary, she says.
Parents worried
Labor Market and Integration Minister Johan Pehrson (L) says that he meets many parents who are concerned that the screens are eating up the children’s future.
– It is a dopamine system that is rewarded that leads to apathy rather than imagination, he says.
How big a problem are screens in preschool?
– It varies. However, the input itself is fundamentally wrong. Children should not have to use screens in preschool. However, it must be possible to use screens if there is a pedagogically proven advantage. But we haven’t seen that so far and neither have researchers, says Johan Pehrson.
The requirement for digital learning was introduced by the Swedish National Agency for Education in the curriculum for preschool from 2018. This was after a commission from the government at the time, which included looking at how children’s digital skills could be strengthened.
The Norwegian Education Agency must present its proposal by 4 June 2024 at the latest.