As of 2026. 98% of two-year-olds watch screens on a typical day and almost 40% of three-to-five-year-olds use social media. This consumption is having a significant impact on children’s psychological and mental wellbeing. Read along to discover how teachers are reclaiming old technology. as a way of reducing screen consumption and overstimulation, in a world where devices run the world.
As Robert A. Heinlein famously wrote “A generation which ignores history has no past – and no future”. In an ever-expanding world, where the scope of new technologies is changing at a rapid rate, how can we ensure that we not only preserve our past, but teach it to those younger generations who know nothing else other than high definition and a life of screens.
Yet, this passing of the torch isn’t just a way to reminisce and preserve our own youth, it’s a necessity, with research showing that children’s exposure to technology is having a serious effect on their cognitive development.
A recent study published by The Guardian found that 98% of two-year-olds watch screens on a typical day and almost 40% of three-to-five-year-olds use social media. This daily consumption from an early age can have a detrimental, emotional and behaviour-related impact
These challenges have become particularly noticeable within the world of education, where there has been a rapid rise in students receiving support for Special Educational Needs (SEN). Official NHS Digital estimates that roughly 5% of children in the UK have ADHD and around 137,977 were awaiting autism assessments. So how exactly can parents and teachers alike lower overstimulation on their children?
Jackson Murdock, 22, is a trainee computer science teacher, amoung a new group of teachers who are looking to turn their passion for retro technology into something of a serious benefit to pupils.
When recounting on what had first sparked his interest in old technologies, Jackson said: “When I was really young, I had a TV in my room and it only accepted VHS tapes. We had a little cupboard and it was filled with hundreds of VHS tapes. There was something so amazing about being able to pick up this tape and see with your own eye how it worked.
“If I can spread that passion for technology that I first felt as a kid over to just a few students, that for me is a big success.”
Lessons can include anything from learning about Nintendo DSs to listening to looking at the workings of vinyls and CDs. For those moments when learning can feel all too much, these technologies can provide an added escape from reality.
“One of the classrooms I taught in had an old iMac from the 80s and everyone loved it, myself included. If anyone needed to take a breather, they could go and play on the iMac for a bit and then they gained that passion for technology that I have,” he said.
For a lot of younger teachers, who have grown up in the age of modern technology themselves, the ability to understand and shape pupils’ relationship to technology comes more naturally.
“Our technology now is faster. It’s quicker. It’s high definition. So, in some regards, it does feel like we don’t need tech of the past. And that’s true- we don’t need it. But the world’s full of things we don’t need. It’s a privilege to be able to see our past and to interact with it,” Jackson stated. “So I don’t think it’s about necessity. It’s about enjoyment. It’s joyful to be able to look at our past, our old software, our old hardware and to take small moments of fun from them.”
With AI redefining the world that we live in daily, it is sometimes easy to feel lost in the change that is happening before our eyes. But for these teachers, nothing from today could have ever been possible without the creation of tech gone by.
“I think progression of technology is only important if you can see where we’ve come from. It doesn’t matter what computers are capable of now if you can compare them to ten or even twenty years ago,” Jackson said.
“I think it’s important that we have this old technology, that we understand how this works and then understand how we’ve got to where we are now.”
James Brown, 32, head of Computer Science at Carre’s Grammar School, agrees that retro technology still holds a place in society today and that schools should utilise its accessibility in order to teach children the principles of new tech.
“Old tech isn’t obsolete; it’s a reminder of innovation over time and a source of nostalgia, especially through games from our childhood,” he said.
“Using retro technology in teaching shows students the journey, history and context of modern technology, helping them appreciate how advanced it has become.”
For many young people, this initiative does not take much convincing, as statistics show that retro technology is seeing a new lease of life with 59% of 18–24-year-olds in the UK listening to physical music, according to Key Production research.
Jackson says this is extremely clear within education “I think social media plays a big part in it. It’s cool to own retro technology. And I think right now we’re in a world where we’re so busy on our phones, and things are quite complicated from that young age. Sometimes I think it’s nice to go back to that relaxing retro time period where we’ve got vinyls, CDs, like you said. And that’s definitely visible in schools.”
In reconnecting students with the technology of the past, educators may be offering them something far more valuable than nostalgia. Perhaps the key to navigating tomorrow’s technology is remembering where it all began.
Did you know?
- 98% of toddlers use screens daily.
- 40% of young children use social media.
- 59% of young adults enjoy physical media.
