YARMOUTH — Nearly every parent of a middle or high school student has witnessed it: their children doing homework while attached to an iPod, in close proximity to a phone or computer for texting and checking Twitter or Facebook.

If you ask anyone in the “Net generation” if being plugged in to these media adversely affects their studying, the answer will most likely be “no.” Unlike their technologically unsophisticated parents, they claim to be capable of multitasking and can handle, even thrive on, multiple stimuli.

The real answer is this: The allure of being continually connected to their friends and within the circles of their networks is so strong that it is more important than dedicating a specific time to any one endeavor, even if a paper and major exam are on the horizon.

For this generation, it is difficult to overestimate the urge to stay connected through media. In a recent study by the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda, 200 college students were asked to abstain from using all media for one day. After 24 hours, students were asked to reflect on their media abstinence.

Despite agreeing to remain unplugged for this period, many were unable to do it. Many who did experienced high levels of anxiety, had difficulty functioning and described what some would call an addiction to constant media access.

There is little doubt that the continual use of texting and social media has altered social structures for students today. Some would argue that this is a useful shift and that platforms such as Facebook provide this generation with the motivation they need to learn important technological skills.

On these sites, students manage their public identity and choose material to communicate to the world. There is little doubt that this method of communication and building social networks will become more important in the years ahead.

What is lacking in the lives of today’s students is having time to do something a lot simpler: simply talking with friends, hearing what is being said and sharing themselves not only through typed words and preselected images, but also through facial expressions and eye contact, tones of voice and gestures – skills often associated with what Howard Gardner would call “emotional intelligence.”

Moreover, in the case of students completing homework assignments, being plugged in affects attention and efficiency in getting tasks done. In his book “Brain Rules,” John Medina describes the way our brain is shaped and what it needs to function at a high level. It turns out that our brain doesn’t have a “dual processor” the way our computers do but instead functions better when focused on one discrete task at a time.

So the next time your son or daughter tells you that he or she can do homework and text at the same time, you can say otherwise.

In fact, what actually occurs is that the brain switches between these activities, repeating information, thus requiring more time to finish both tasks than if each task were tackled sequentially. With a lack of efficiency, non-homework time with friends or family and bedtimes are more likely to get compromised.

In their book “Smart but Scattered,” Peg Dawson and Richard Guare recommend ways to maximize brain functions through reducing distractions and creating media-free zones in which students can focus on their homework, chores or other tasks, such as getting ready for bed.

Adults can help, too, by supervising students initially and encouraging them to gradually increase the amount of “focused time.” Scheduling 10-minute breaks or incentives to complete goals may also help. Of course, having regular check-ins with teachers to assess the quality of work done at home and discussing those results is important.

Perhaps one of the most essential activities we can engage in is modeling behavior that shows we can be switched off and focused, too. Try keeping the cellphone away from the dinner table. Let your kids catch you listening instead of texting. Have a media-free hour in the evening or stay away from the computer for a day on the weekend. Having “quality” time with children is perhaps more important than ever, particularly if we can fully unplug ourselves.

Encouraging these kinds of habits takes time. It may be three or four months before these routines are established and other avenues of connecting to those around us take root. But the rewards are great, not only for the relationships we forge but also for our single-processor minds.

– Special to The Press Herald