Tevlin: Hope for humanity in wise 16-year-old

It was more rare than a man-bites-dog headline: Teen recommends cutting back on technology.

It was the letter to the editor that caught my eye last week and raised my hope for humanity.

Anna Janning, 16, is a junior at Eden Prairie High School, but I can only assume she is an old soul. First of all, she knew what a newspaper was, and cared enough about a topic to write to the editor, even though she knew few of her friends would ever see her opinion piece.

Oh, and she quoted Einstein and Socrates, too. I think this is pretty good evidence that the world will not end tomorrow.

In a piece of clear thinking coupled with clever writing and a dash of humor, Janning had the audacity to tell her fellow teens that they should get off their cellphones, and their butts.

In a world where news of war, terrorism, brutality, abuse and racism are commonplace, it is worthwhile to stop and take note of a high school student who paused long enough to remind us all to stop and smell the proverbial flowers, and she doesn't mean www.flowers.com.

"In the modern world, with 'newer, faster and better' technology like the new iPhone 6, Apple Smartwatch, and the first curved television, society is being sucked into the everlasting temptation of trivial knowledge," Janning wrote. "We consume these products and become addicted to them. I have watched my peers in recent years becoming freakishly glued to their smartphones, constantly using them. The school I attend, Eden Prairie High School, has bought laptops for its nearly 3,000 students to use for educational purposes when some schools in Minneapolis can't even afford air conditioning."

Turns out she uses social media, has an iPhone and watches television. She just makes sure she has time for real social interaction, with real live friends and family.

"I get so annoyed when I'm right in front of my friends and they are talking or texting someone else who is not there," Janning said. "You need to appreciate the people around you."

Janning said her friends thought she was a little strange at first when she tempered her fix on her cellphone. They got irritated if she didn't call or text back immediately, but they've gotten used to it.

Even in class, where technology is used a lot, "I don't like staring into a screen all day. I'd rather talk to my classmates and teachers."

I asked Janning what she liked to read, and she said anything assigned in her classes. She likes textbooks. She is in marching band and color guard and plays the flute and she works a couple of shifts a week at Caribou Coffee. She loves math.

Janning said her parents have encouraged her to limit use of technology, and thinks other parents should play a role in their kids' online habits.

"I think parents also need to help by giving kids advice, such as no technology at night," Janning said. "Some people think they need to have their phone at all times, even when they go to bed."

"Anna has always been independent and very vocal," said her mother, Nancy. "If she has opinions about things, she likes to express them."

It's something Nancy and Anna's dad, Mark, encourage.

"We want her to be able to say what she thinks and to be a leader," Nancy said. "She's a strong student who works very hard for her grades. It's not just academic, she's very interested in the world and what she can do to contribute to it."

"We are slowly evolving into his fear: the fear of little to no human interaction," she wrote. "I propose to the fortunate people with phones, computers, or televisions to power down. Look around you and see what the world has to offer you. The great philosopher Socrates said, 'Life without experience and suffering is not life.' This proves the point that people need to get off their butt and go live a little."

Janning also wants her peers to recognize some experiences that surpass anything found on a flat screen: talking to family during dinner and "calling your grandparents to see how they are instead of texting things like, 'what up?' "

That last line actually had me Laughing Out Loud, for real.

jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702