Question: If there were to be a school emergency, such as a dangerous person on the grounds, what do school safety experts say is best for students to do? Pull out phones? Call home? Be silent?
Hopefully you answered, be silent. The belief that students would be helped by having their own phones with them (or smartwatches) is just one of many myths our Away For the Day campaign addresses.
We launched the Away For The Day movement in 2017 because we could see back then the detrimental impact of smartphone use in schools, not just on academics but also on the emotional wellbeing and social development of youth. The fact is research shows that Away For The Day is the way to go.
We have significantly updated our Away For The Day website to help you support cellphone bans at your schools or your kids’ schools.
AwayForTheDay.org houses the latest, best academic research on the effects of smartphones at school on kids' academic and emotional well-being. This research will continue to grow, and we will continue to update our resources.
The website also has a toolkit for everyone interested in supporting this issue, including a handy PowerPoint presentation to appeal to the administrators responsible for policies OR an administrator looking for a way to roll out new policies and guidelines in your school or district.
We are thrilled to see that smartphone bans at schools are gaining significant momentum across the country. The Los Angeles Unified School Board's decision to ban smartphones at all their schools starting January 2025 is a major step forward. Similarly, New York City Schools are on the verge of implementing a ban, and we receive daily reports of many states, districts, counties, and individual schools following suit. This progress fills us with hope for a future where students can thrive without the distractions of smartphones.
If you believe that phones and smartwatches should be put away for the day in school, off of students, in lockers, collection points, locked boxes, etc., please click here to answer yes. (We promise not to email any follow-up.) The bigger this number is, the louder our voices become together!
Today, additional devices like smartwatches exacerbate the challenge. On September 3rd, we are releasing an elementary school edition (K-5) of Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age that includes a whole section about the smartwatch issue showing up in elementary school classes everywhere. Please click here if you want more information about hosting our new movie.
All schools and communities will have needs specific to their circumstances. Still, our central point is that schools should aim to have clear policies, communicated to and understood by students, parents, and teachers, that say smartphones, smartwatches, and gaming devices should be put Away For The Day by...
I want to add that we are jazzed that Jonathan Haidt is elevating the importance of Away For The Day in his new book. When I interviewed him about mental health issues, we discussed Away For The Day, and I will share that in an upcoming podcast.
Remember, your support is crucial to our mission. If you believe in the benefits of phone bans at schools, we urge you to click here and pledge your support. Your pledges are not just numbers; they are powerful tools that we can use to show policymakers and media outlets the strong demand for 'Away For The Day' policies in schools. Your support matters, and we are grateful for it.
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Question: If there were to be a school emergency, such as a dangerous person on the grounds, what do school safety experts say is best for students to do? Pull out phones? Call home? Be silent?
Hopefully you answered, be silent. The belief that students would be helped by having their own phones with them (or smartwatches) is just one of many myths our Away For the Day campaign addresses.
We launched the Away For The Day movement in 2017 because we could see back then the detrimental impact of smartphone use in schools, not just on academics but also on the emotional wellbeing and social development of youth. The fact is research shows that Away For The Day is the way to go.
We have significantly updated our Away For The Day website to help you support cellphone bans at your schools or your kids’ schools.
AwayForTheDay.org houses the latest, best academic research on the effects of smartphones at school on kids' academic and emotional well-being. This research will continue to grow, and we will continue to update our resources.
The website also has a toolkit for everyone interested in supporting this issue, including a handy PowerPoint presentation to appeal to the administrators responsible for policies OR an administrator looking for a way to roll out new policies and guidelines in your school or district.
We are thrilled to see that smartphone bans at schools are gaining significant momentum across the country. The Los Angeles Unified School Board's decision to ban smartphones at all their schools starting January 2025 is a major step forward. Similarly, New York City Schools are on the verge of implementing a ban, and we receive daily reports of many states, districts, counties, and individual schools following suit. This progress fills us with hope for a future where students can thrive without the distractions of smartphones.
Last week, USA Today ran an outstanding article titled: “Schools don’t want kids on cellphones. Is banning them the solution?” Our team launched Away For The Day in December 2017 to provide science and tools to help more schools create policies in which phones are not with students during the school day, and we are pleased the USA Today article mentions the campaign. The moment of change is truly here. Unlike anything we have seen in the past, the rate at which schools and full districts are adopting away-for-the-day policies is outstanding! Read today’s blog for some highlights from the USA Today article.
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Did your kids participate in our anonymous online survey about cellphones in schools? I am thrilled to unveil some fascinating results of our study today. This study is truly unique — we know of no other study in which students have been asked their opinions about cellphone access in schools.
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One thing that is key in our work together is ensuring we include the voices of young people — something that, of course, is present in the Screenagers film series. Their input is crucial, and that is why I have 2 important questions for us to ask them as they transition back to school. As you know, I am particularly focused on improving our kids' mental health. One major lever is decreasing personal devices in schools. Below are the two top questions
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
