If phones block the experiences adolescents need (free play, attunement, social learning), then a language classroom is one of the few daily places to give them face-to-face, collaborative, playful interaction. Design for it.
Design implications (Claude)
- Embodied and face-to-face tasks (info gaps, role-plays, mingles) are worth more than ever for teens.
- Teach the attention story explicitly: why phones are away (not “because I said so”).
- Avoid building homework platforms around streaks and notifications, which recreate the attention-capture design Haidt describes.
Caveat
The causal evidence is disputed (see source note). The recommendations stand on independent grounds (attention, interaction).
Connections
Information-gap design - convert any exercise into a two-way task · Vocabulary apps - reward design outruns learning design · Design lessons for the teenage brain