Kids and Clicks
A fun, interactive workshop to help children understand how screen addiction works.
This workshop uses positive reinforcement training, which is a concept children instantly relate to.
Children are struggling with screen addiction, social media pressure, and poor mental health. Nearly a third, 29%, of young people now rate their mental health as ‘bad or very bad’ (Planet Youth Survey, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2021).
I’m Deirdre Ryan, professional dog trainer, behaviourist, and author of Trained Puppies Don’t Bite Children. With over 22 years of experience in animal behavioural science, I’ve identified a clear link between how dogs get hooked on training and how children get hooked on screens.
This workshop uses positive reinforcement training used with dogs (known as clicker training) to teach children how their brains respond to screens – helping them recognise when they might be being exploited by tech companies and giving them the tools to take control.
The Tech Industry’s Role in Screen Addiction
Tech companies use the same behavioural psychology as gambling firms to keep children engaged for longer. As referenced from the platform guides on the National College website:
- 99% of 12-15-year-olds are online for nearly 21 hours a week.
- 7 in 10 children lose sleep due to screen addiction.
- 60% admit neglecting schoolwork because of screen time.
- 47% of parents think their children spend too much time on screen.
- Children as young as 13 are seeking rehab for screen addiction.
How this workshop supports the school curriculum
This workshop compliments many of the learning outcomes of both the science and SPHE strands of the 5th and 6th class curriculum, as well as touching on many of the key competencies topics:
Science
- Animal life
SPHE
- Safety and protection-making decisions.
- Myself and the wider world-media education.
- Self-identity, self-awareness and developing self confidence.
- Differentiate between needs and wants and recognise and explore the concept of delayed gratification.
- Identify and learn about healthy ways to help him/her feel positive about himself/herself.
- Making decisions-how our impulses can influence decisions and choices.
Key Competency
- According to curriculumonline.ie, being an active learner supports children’s wellbeing as it creates a sense of belonging and connection, and brings awareness of the unique contribution that every child can bring.
- Learning to be a digital learner and being an active learner, “will empowering children to act and make decisions in relation to specific learning experiences, events and situations”
- Each child will learn about being well and being a communicator.
The workshop includes:
- 40-minute slideshow on screen addiction and behavioural psychology including a video showing positive reinforcement in action.
- 45-minute hands-on activity, where students train each other using clickers and rewards.
- Time for questions so pupils can explore their findings.
Each student receives a free clicker and an information sheet to continue their learning at home.
Aims of the Workshop
- To increase overall wellbeing of the students through learning about positive reinforcement training.
- To increase self-awareness about both the positive and negative effects of dopamine.
- To understand how positive praise and reinforcement works for people as well as animals.
- To be aware of the agenda of the tech industry to keep kids on their platforms for as long as possible using positive reinforcement training.
- To learn how jackpots or variable reward systems can get dogs addicted to training and kids addicted to social media and video games.
- To encourage a strong sense of empowerment and to teach communication skills to help children be more prepared for secondary school.
- To encourage children to pursue activities with a longer lasting dopamine boost such GAA, hobbies and community events and sports.
Feedback from schools
Following a workshop at Inch School, Co. Clare, this was the feedback from Ms. Gleeson, 4th and 5th class teacher:
“A fascinating, science-backed lesson touching on how our brains respond to positive reinforcement and how dopamine is released. Deirdre also explored the power of social media in our lives and cleverly linked it to the same dopamine responses seen in animals through training. The class got to try out the clicker system on each other, treating their friends with marshmallows for positive behaviour. When they hit the jackpot, they got to eat all the treats – a fun, interactive way to connect the science behind the lesson to real-life scenarios. Lots of fun was had, and the learning was invaluable!”
In a survey of 5th and 6th class students:
✔ 91% rated it 10/10
✔ 100% found it interesting and engaging
✔ Comments: “Really interesting,” “loved the interactive training,” “loved every bit of it!”
You can hear me Deirdre about this workshop on her recent appearance on Newstalk here.
And get full feedback from Inch National School here via Instagram.
Pricing and booking
The workshop costs €240, including travel within County Clare. With an average class size of 24, that’s just €10 per child for an engaging and educational experience.
If you’d like to book a session or have any questions, feel free to call or email.
“The ‘Kids and Clicks’ presentation was highly engaging and interactive, providing a clear explanation of clicker training for dogs. Using marshmallows as treats during the mock dog‐training session proved very motivating for the children, who had a great laugh when they realised their peers couldn’t read their minds. The striking comparison between the dopamine surge dogs receive during training and the rush children experience when using devices or awaiting clicks and likes on social platforms was genuinely powerful. I am confident it will leave a lasting impression on the children. Although they may not fully appreciate its significance right now, I believe they will eventually realise how these devices are deliberately engineered to be addictive. Deirdre was excellent with the class and would highly recommend having her at other schools.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kelly Flannagan (Sixth-class teacher)
Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire
Newmarket-on-Fergus
Co. Clare
“It’s a great initiative and is hugely beneficial for the kids” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Conor McKenna (Headmaster)
Inch National School
Mahonburgh
Co. Clare
“This program sounds fantastic, it sounds really interesting”. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dean McDonald (Lecturer in Cyber Psychology)
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