Caught in the algorithm: exploring smartphone use in young people

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5/Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12 Maths.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks (UK):
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work Dr Roseane de Fátima Guimarães from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Canada. Roseane is examining the relationships between young people and their phones, and how we can make them healthier.

• This resource also contains an interview with Roseane and offers an insight into careers in health and physical education. If your students have questions for Roseane, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on Roseane’s research and challenges them to debate the issue of banning smartphones in schools.

This resource was first published by Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

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