Student Distraction Study

As students head back to school, new dangers are emerging concerning multi-tasking especially when crossing the street. The child advocacy group Safe Kids finds 20% of high school students are distracted by a mobile device when crossing the street, the number dips to one of every eight middle school students. President Kate Carr identifies the three potentially deadly habits.  “Texting, headphones and chatting on the phone were the three big ones that we worry about.” She says there is some anecdotal evidence why the dangers are more prevalent in high school.  “The difference between high schoolers and middle schoolers is largely about how many of them actually had a mobile device.” Safe Kids watched more than 34,000 high school and middle school students cross the street in 17 states. Carr reveals what they found. “One in five of those high school students were using a mobile device and one in eight middle school students were using a mobile device.” Parents need to remind their kids about the rules of the road before handing them a cell phone or other mobile device, concludes Carr.  “We all love to make sure that our kids can reach us now, so, every kid gets a phone, but not to use the phone when they are crossing a street and not to use the phone when they are driving in a car.” Talk to your kids about when it is appropriate to use mobile devices, wear headphones or text, so they understand the dangers and limit the number of distractions.