The Digital Skills our Schools aren't Teaching our Kids
Paul Galatis, September 2025
I am increasingly frustrated by the presence of iPads in our kids' schools. There is no credible evidence that doing schoolwork on iPads improves academic performance. On the contrary, a growing body of research shows that the distractions and dopamine-driven design of these devices are disastrous for deep learning, sustained concentration, and focus.
Alongside traditional subjects, I believe digital literacy should be treated with the same seriousness as maths, reading, and writing. Despite living in an undeniably digital age, our collective sense of digital literacy remains underdeveloped. Schools show little evidence of a clear framework for what foundational digital skills look like, or of a coherent plan for teaching them.
Who sets this direction?
I was born in 1980. I grew up surrounded by floppy disks, monochrome CRT screens and Commodore 64s. Half my life was distninctly pre-internet; and the other half has been deeply immersed in the digital world. I bought my first digital camera in the late 1990s. In the 2000s, I studied commerce and information systems and wrote my thesis on computing metaphors while starting a side hustle as a self-taught graphic designer.
In the 2010s, my partners and I built one of South Africa’s most successful e-commerce companies. After taking my next business through Y Combinator in 2018, my wife and I moved our young family to San Francisco, where we lived for three and a half years riding the roller coaster that is Silicon Valley. All this is to say, I have spent my life immersed in technology.
I recognise that this immersion might bias me toward seeing technology as being more important than it might be. Still, I feel well placed to identify a baseline of core digital competencies that have served me well for over 30 years, and whose absence I see causing many people in all walks of life unnecessary frustration.
These skills are not glamorous, nor are they laced with dopamine. But they are critical building blocks for thriving in almost every future industry. Neglect them, and our children will be as unprepared for the digital world as a child who finishes school with a barely passable level of reading and writing.
Core Digital Competencies for Kids
Ages 6–7 (Foundation Stage)
Goal: Comfort with basic technology, navigation and understanding tech as a tool, not a toy.
Basic Operations
Turning a computer/tablet on/off properly
Logging in with a password (not just Face ID)
Understanding passwords and how they work
Opening and closing applications
Using a mouse, trackpad and keyboard
Understanding the difference between files and programs
Navigation & Safety
What a web browser is
Typing in a simple URL
Understanding what a link is and how to click it
Staying on task by not switching tabs
Introduction to internet safety (e.g. stranger danger online)
Digital Mindset
Computers as tools for creating, not just consuming
Knowing that things live in folders and files
Ages 8–9 (Foundational Skills)
Goal: Become functionally independent using computers to find, create, and share simple information.
Core Skills
Typing with all fingers (not just hunting and pecking)
Typing: 10mins per day x 3 times a week = 15 words per min goal
Copying and pasting text, images, files and folders
Taking and saving screenshots
Refreshing a browser page
Searching Google effectively (basic search terms)
Productivity Tools
Introduction to Google Docs: writing, formatting text
Saving files with useful names
Finding saved files again
Using drawing programs to paint
Introduction to email
Safety & Etiquette
Knowing what personal info not to share online
Respecting screen time limits
Understanding cyberbullying basics
Ages 10–11 (Tool-Based Confidence)
Goal: Use a computer as a confident creator. Know how to solve basic tech problems independently.
Skills & Shortcuts
Mastering keyboard shortcuts: copy, paste, undo, new tab, refresh etc.
Typing: 10mins per day x 3 times a week = 30 words per min goal
Using two tabs side by side (split screen, dragging tabs)
Using bookmarks
Attaching files to emails
Tools & Apps
Creating a slide presentation (e.g. Google Slides, PowerPoint)
Creating folders and organising files
Using a basic spreadsheet: rows, columns, simple sums
Using typing tutors to improve words per minute
Thinking Critically
Recognising ads and clickbait
Evaluating if a source looks trustworthy
Understanding digital footprint
Ages 12–13 (Applied Digital Fluency)
Goal: Operate like a young digital native with intention, not addiction.
Applied Skills
Researching and evaluating online information
Collaborating on shared documents
Typing: 10mins per day x 3 times a week = 60 words per min goal
Formatting essays and reports with headers, spacing, citations
Understanding cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)
Editing basic images (e.g. Canva or Google Drawings)
Using Zoom or video conferencing for a school project
Dealing with your inbox to remain focussed
Advanced Digital Literacy
Understanding phishing and scams
Creating strong passwords and managing them
Learning the difference between productive vs addictive tech use
Building a simple website or blog
Creating a podcast or basic video edit
Optional (Advanced)
Intro to coding (Python, Javascript, HTML, CSS)
Understanding how computers work (CPU, memory, storage)
Recommendations for Parents & Schools
No iPads unless justified: Prefer keyboards and real computers for learning.
Daily touch typing: 10 minutes of focused typing a day is transformational.
Structured computer time: Scheduled blocks for creating, not browsing.
Clear boundaries: No notifications, locked-down browsers during schoolwork.
Parent-led reflection: Ask kids what they made or learned on the computer today, not what they watched.
Now to make it happen
If you've made it this far, I applaud you and thank you for the attention. If you’re in education, I’d love to hear what you think of our kids’ digital preparedness.
And regardless of whether you’re in education, I'd be curious to know two things from you if you're willing.
Firstly, what specific digital skills, no matter how mundane, have you found to be valuable in your life? And secondly, how valuable do you believe a core set of digital competencies to be for your children?