4. Passage TenNowadays， children heavily cling to digital devices such as computers and smart phones.Some spend up to six hours a day on their digital devices.They can be playing games online with people elsewhere， updating their status on social media， texting friends， or looking for the latest apps to download to their computers or smart phones.This worried Martin Strott.He is the headmaster of the Old Hall School in Wellington， England.He was so concerned that he challenged his students to take part in a week of (“digital detox”)， a program to reduce their reliance on digital devices.Mr.Strott told the local newspaper， the Shropshire Star， that too much screen time would affect the development of their social skills.At another interview with a magazine， he mentioned that this over-reliance on digital devices “takes away family time and reduces their chances of face-to-face communication”.The parents are happy with the program.But what about the children? Nine-year-old Fred usually spends around two hours on his digital devices at home after school and around 12 hours on weekends.For him， the digital detox experience was “really hard”.He said that he had been engaged in many interesting outdoor activities organized by the headmaster， but still missed his phone and online games.The idea of keeping children away from their digital devices for a while to prevent too much dependence on them is not particularly new.There have been similar practices in the United States.But are they effective in the long run? According to Mr.Strott， even if kids go back to their digital devices， the hope is that at least they will think about how they will use their time.How did Fred feel about his “digital detox” experience?