Inventor Trevor Baylis bemoans 'brain-dead' Google generation

Legendary British inventor Trevor Baylis has claimed that the internet, and Google specifically, is making a new generation of children 'brain-dead.'

The 75-year-old creator of the wind-up radio, says kids of today aren't learning practical skills and will be unable to make anything with their hands as a result.

Baylis told the Daily Mail that children are becoming too reliant on instant Google searches and expressed a concern for the next generation of inventors in the UK.

He said: "Children have got to be taught hands-on, and not to become mobile phone or computer dependent.

"They are dependent on Google searches," he added. "A lot of kids will become fairly brain-dead if they become so dependent on the internet, because they will not be able to do things in the old-fashioned way."

Bring back Meccano!

Baylis also made a plea for Meccano sets to be reintroduced into schools claiming he gleaned most of its early tools from the versatile construction kit gifted to him as a youngster.

"With Meccano you could do your own reproduction of, say, the Sydney Harbour Bridge," he added.

"If you brought Meccano back into primary or secondary schools then you'd have class one against class two – you've got four hours to make the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we'll see which one is the strongest."

Although Baylis may have a point about the over-reliance on the internet, devices like the Raspberry Pi are still equipping children with vital tools needed to gain future employment in the digital world.

Via Daily Mail