Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

I thought I knew everything there was to know about how smartphones are destroying society, but Johann Hari gave me all kinds of new evidence. I was showing this book to another teacher while we were on a field trip to the local library, and a student overheard me say, "It's making me hate phones even more." She jumped in, saying, "That's not possible! You already hate phones so much." Yeah, I do. But it was possible.

I read to her from my notes: "Did you know that taking an IQ test with your phone next to you receiving notifications will drop your score by 10 points, while taking the test high will only drop it 5 points?"

"No way, that can't be true," she said, eyes wide.

I shrugged and smiled. "It's in the book."

"Oh my God," she said, shaking her head and sticking it back inside her poetry book.

If you don't want to read the whole book but you trust me enough to summarize, here's my advice:

1. Never let your children know what a screen is.

2. Plant trees! (This book was not only about phones.)

3. Shout loudly everywhere you go that Mark Zuckerberg has a special place for him in hell.

I will admit that even though I have hated phones for years, I still check mine first thing every morning. Until today that is! Here's hoping that streak lasts.