Screens, teens and their brains. Discourses about digital media, learning and cognitive development in popular science neuroeducation

Figures & data

Table 1. Material selection: six popular science books on neuroeducation.

Author	Title and year	Book description
Anders Hansen^4 has a medical degree and works as a psychiatrist, author, speaker, and consultant.	Skärmhjärnan: hur en hjärna i osynk med sin tid kan göra oss stressade deprimerade och ångestfyllda (2019) [The screen brain: how a brain out of sync with its time can make us stressed, depressed, and anxious]	The book does not specifically address schools but a wider audience. The main argument is that excessive use of screen-based media might harm the brain.
Martin Ingvar is a neuroscientist and Gunilla Eldh is a journalist in medicine and health. They have co-authored several popular science books about the brain.	Hjärnkoll på skolan: och varför barn behöver dig för att lära (2014) [On track with brain-based schooling: and why children need you to learn]	The book presents a brain-based perspective of the Swedish school, and argues that since motivation is crucial for learning, insights from brain research is needed.
Torkel Klingberg is a professor in cognitive neuroscience. He has also been involved in the development of the digital app Vektor (training tool for early math learning).	Hjärna, gener & jävlar anamma: hur barn lär (2016) [Brain, genes and fighting spirit: how children learn]	The book discusses how children learn and the importance of ‘grit’ from a neuroscience perspective. It also discusses ways to train the brain through digital learning tools and evaluate different apps and games.
Sissela Nutley is a researcher in cognitive neuroscience and works as an author, speaker, and consultant.	Distraherad: hjärnan, skärmen och krafterna bakom (2019) [Distracted: the brain, the screen, and the forces behind]	The book discusses screen time and young people’s brains on a general level. As the title suggests, the main claim throughout the book is that digital technologies distract its young users.
Anette Prehn^5 is a sociologist and works as an author, speaker, and consultant.	Hjärnsmart pedagogik: stimulera barns lärande, empati, inre lugn och självkontroll (2018) [Brain smart education: stimulate the learning, empathy, inner peace, and self-control of children]	The book is structured around five different ‘destinations’ in the brain: amygdala, the working memory, the frontal lobe, hippocampus, and autonomous neuroplasticity. It is targeted towards teachers for all age groups.
Bertil Thomas (ed.), Rolf Ekman, Axel Eriksson, Joanna Giota, Carl-G Gottfries, Anders Hill & Per-Olof Nilsson. The authors of this anthology are all researchers within either neuroscience, education, or technology science.	Hjärnan och lärandet: kunskaper för framtidens skola (2020) [The brain and learning: knowledge for the future school]	The book is intended as a textbook for teacher students, and it presents an introduction to neuroscientific findings with relevance to educational practices.