To the Editor:

On my routine errands around Newtown, I observe a frightening and dangerous precedent: Toddlers gnawing on their parents’ cellphones or immersed in tablet screens. While their parents strive to keep their children occupied, inadvertently they unleash the monster that cripples most of us — screen addiction. Whether it’s at a supermarket or restaurant, I am pained to see most people on their cellphones, head down, neck craned, oblivious to others, bumping into carts or holding fork in one hand with cellphone in the other.

Adults enjoy the right to choose, but their young children model what they see and seek. Why choose a tablet or a cellphone? Try a book or an educational toy.

As a high school English teacher, I have instructed teenagers for 55 years. I tell them they are the best humanity has to offer, and I care deeply about their futures. My sophomores and juniors just completed an in-depth, non-partial cellphone/social media unit as they examined the pros and cons of spending five to seven hours daily on social media. Many recalled their earlier days and the first tech they touched — their tablets or parents’ cellphones.

Parents bemoan their children’s lack of reading involvement and proficiency. They ask for a panacea. It lies in early habits and modeling behaviors. We teachers need parents’ support in our efforts to lessen the ubiquitous power of screens’ hypnotism. Please don’t introduce smartphones and tablets to children before they have a firm footing in their educational journey.

Anita R. Holtz

Sandy Hook