The early use by children and toddlers of digital media has negative consequences on the development and maturity of the fore brain, according to newly published independent studies. Recommendations for media education in line with child development, together with links to scientific studies, are to be found in the full Position Paper, in the Fact Sheets „Digital Media in Childhood and Education“ and „Growing up healthy“ and in the summary Position Paper.

Understanding information technology, knowing its potential and limitations, learning the language of programming etc. are of course all things that should be learned at school. To do so however there is no need to have a school cloud system with big data and learning analytics, learning software that posts pupil data on the internet and wifi microwave radiation. It is clear that the future will be partly determined by digital technology. It is also clear that to reach maturity in a healthy way the brain needs time. That is why we believe that teachers, parents and educators should decide for themselves the age to which learning spaces should remain screen free and the age when it makes sense from a pedagogical and developmental point of view to introduce digital media as a teaching tool. For their growth and development, body, soul and spirit need real world learning experiences in space and time. That is why the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, did not allow his children to have either a smart phone or a tablet – he saw them as electronic gadgets to entertain adults. He knew very well that creative thinking and entrepreneurial skills are not learned from the screen but through human interaction and real world experience.

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Thank you for supporting our petition

For the Bündnis für humane Bildung www.aufwach-s-en.de
Prof. Ralf Lankau

For the European Alliance for Applied Anthroposophy/ELIANT www.eliant.eu
Dr. med. Michaela Glöckler

European Alliance of Initiatives for Applied Anthroposophy (ELIANT) brings together 10 actively engaged European umbrella organisations. As a civil society organization (CSO) since 2006, ELIANT is campaigning to improve the quality of life and cultural diversity across Europe in all spheres of life – and is especially concerned to ensure that real choices remain available.

To promote holistic and ecologically sound projects and initiatives by:

• Engaging in social, cultural and political discussions in the EU
• Supporting the cultural initiatives arising from anthroposophy including Steiner/Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture (Demeter), anthroposophical medicine and therapy, curative education and social therapy.

ELIANT believes in a democratic, culturally inclusive and united Europe, based on values of human dignity and freedom. Our primary task is to uphold and ensure the availability of choice in the fields of: >

• Parenting
• Education
• Medicine
• Agriculture
• Economy

• Create a platform from which to organise conferences, seminars, workshops and discussions.
• Engage in active dialogue with members of EU institutions on issues of civic importance.
• Produce a monthly newsletter to share progress and provide information about initiatives we are keen to support.
• Serve as an important source of information for citizens, institutions and businesses about initiatives that promote and develop European cultural life.
• Use the process of petitioning to give voice to civic concerns about the continued availability of choice.

With its thousands of supporters across Europe, ELIANT has become an important organ for sharing human-focused cultural values. Learn more about the Alliance Charter and our history.