Attention is the New Literacy

In classrooms and homes across Canada, one truth is becoming clearer: the challenge is no longer access to technology, but balance with it. When a child looks up from a screen, something shifts. Stillness returns. Curiosity reappears. The pace of the world slows just enough for wonder to catch up.

Screens Are Tools, Not the Enemy

Screens are not the enemy. They are tools that can teach, connect, and inspire. But they can also replace the very moments that shape a child’s emotional and intellectual growth. The challenge for families and educators today is not to eliminate technology, but to use it wisely.

Canadian guidelines recommend keeping recreational screen time under two hours each day. Yet many children far exceed that. What matters even more than the number is the quality of attention being developed.

When screen time dominates, patience and focus begin to fade. When balance is restored, children play longer, listen more deeply, and engage with curiosity. These are the same skills that lead to problem solving, empathy, and creativity; the skills that artificial intelligence cannot replace.

Technology and human connection can coexist, but balance does not happen by accident. It takes intention.

• Keep devices away during meals.
• Protect the hour before bed.
• Encourage children to create with technology rather than consume passively.
• Use it as a bridge to the world, not a barrier from it.

The children who thrive in the years ahead will not be those who use the most technology, but those who know when to look up.

Attention is the new literacy. Presence is the new intelligence.

Screens are part of our modern story. What matters most is how we write the next chapter.

How are you finding balance in your classroom or home?