Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from the podcast we released yesterday because it really captures all the points I want to make in this blog — and hopefully will inspire you to listen to the full episode which is perfect for a short walk or car drive at 19-minutes.
(Please note there are a couple of minor edits from the original transcript to make it easy to follow as a blog.)
“Some of you know about Away for the Day. Back in 2017, my ScreenAgers film and movement partner, Lisa Tabb, and I, with the help of others on our team, started the campaign Away for the Day to have schools be phone-free, and now that includes smartwatches as well.
Away for the Day is centered on the website AwayForTheDay.org, which is chock full of helpful things like best practices, toolkits, testimonials, and data on why these policies help students emotionally, academically, and socially.
We're thrilled that we have heard from many, many parents, counselors, teachers, principals, and superintendents on how our campaign and all these resources have helped to create change in their schools over the past seven-plus years, and the movement is growing big time. Already 14 states have either passed legislation in support of a way for the day or are in the midst of passing legislation.
Unfortunately, though, is that many of these bills are directed specifically at academic time only and don't address breaks and lunch. Another issue is that schools may say they have a policy that phones are kept away during class time, but students often still have access to their phones. They may be supposed to keep them in their lockers or their backpacks, but then they keep them on themselves, or in some instances, they're just allowed to keep them wherever they want to.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
This is a problem because the temptation to look at their devices is just seriously still maintained. I mean, it's not easy for students to resist the pull. It's not easy for any of us. Wouldn't it be better if devices were locked up safely for the full day?
Each of the four Screenagers films addresses the issue of phones in schools, and in the recently released Screenagers Elementary School Age Edition, the idea of specific lockers for cell phones is even brought up.
I'm jazzed to have spoken with a high school principal who helped to change her school to away-for-the-day just this January 2025. We're talking mid-school year. They did not go to phones locked away for the entire day, but they are doing the next best thing: Phones are locked away all day except for lunchtime.
Why make the change? Well, prior to January, teachers were asked to collect phones and put them into baskets in the front of the classroom for the class period, and then students got their phones back at the end of the period. Each teacher was to do this, but not all the teachers did. And this is a common problem.
A lot of high schools, for example, have used these plastic hanging shoe holders for phones, but then some of the teachers don't do it. This makes it that much harder for the teachers who are trying to enforce the rule. So today we're going to learn about this high school that just recently made a big change....
Listen to the podcast at these links or wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Castbox // YouTube // Website
Questions to get the conversation started with your group or family:
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
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Please click here to share your thoughts with us in our community survey. It only takes 5–10 minutes, and everyone who completes it will be entered to win one of five $50 Amazon vouchers.
Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from the podcast we released yesterday because it really captures all the points I want to make in this blog — and hopefully will inspire you to listen to the full episode which is perfect for a short walk or car drive at 19-minutes.
(Please note there are a couple of minor edits from the original transcript to make it easy to follow as a blog.)
“Some of you know about Away for the Day. Back in 2017, my ScreenAgers film and movement partner, Lisa Tabb, and I, with the help of others on our team, started the campaign Away for the Day to have schools be phone-free, and now that includes smartwatches as well.
Away for the Day is centered on the website AwayForTheDay.org, which is chock full of helpful things like best practices, toolkits, testimonials, and data on why these policies help students emotionally, academically, and socially.
We're thrilled that we have heard from many, many parents, counselors, teachers, principals, and superintendents on how our campaign and all these resources have helped to create change in their schools over the past seven-plus years, and the movement is growing big time. Already 14 states have either passed legislation in support of a way for the day or are in the midst of passing legislation.
Unfortunately, though, is that many of these bills are directed specifically at academic time only and don't address breaks and lunch. Another issue is that schools may say they have a policy that phones are kept away during class time, but students often still have access to their phones. They may be supposed to keep them in their lockers or their backpacks, but then they keep them on themselves, or in some instances, they're just allowed to keep them wherever they want to.
This is a problem because the temptation to look at their devices is just seriously still maintained. I mean, it's not easy for students to resist the pull. It's not easy for any of us. Wouldn't it be better if devices were locked up safely for the full day?
Each of the four Screenagers films addresses the issue of phones in schools, and in the recently released Screenagers Elementary School Age Edition, the idea of specific lockers for cell phones is even brought up.
I'm jazzed to have spoken with a high school principal who helped to change her school to away-for-the-day just this January 2025. We're talking mid-school year. They did not go to phones locked away for the entire day, but they are doing the next best thing: Phones are locked away all day except for lunchtime.
Why make the change? Well, prior to January, teachers were asked to collect phones and put them into baskets in the front of the classroom for the class period, and then students got their phones back at the end of the period. Each teacher was to do this, but not all the teachers did. And this is a common problem.
A lot of high schools, for example, have used these plastic hanging shoe holders for phones, but then some of the teachers don't do it. This makes it that much harder for the teachers who are trying to enforce the rule. So today we're going to learn about this high school that just recently made a big change....
Listen to the podcast at these links or wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Castbox // YouTube // Website
Questions to get the conversation started with your group or family:
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
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Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from the podcast we released yesterday because it really captures all the points I want to make in this blog — and hopefully will inspire you to listen to the full episode which is perfect for a short walk or car drive at 19-minutes.
(Please note there are a couple of minor edits from the original transcript to make it easy to follow as a blog.)
“Some of you know about Away for the Day. Back in 2017, my ScreenAgers film and movement partner, Lisa Tabb, and I, with the help of others on our team, started the campaign Away for the Day to have schools be phone-free, and now that includes smartwatches as well.
Away for the Day is centered on the website AwayForTheDay.org, which is chock full of helpful things like best practices, toolkits, testimonials, and data on why these policies help students emotionally, academically, and socially.
We're thrilled that we have heard from many, many parents, counselors, teachers, principals, and superintendents on how our campaign and all these resources have helped to create change in their schools over the past seven-plus years, and the movement is growing big time. Already 14 states have either passed legislation in support of a way for the day or are in the midst of passing legislation.
Unfortunately, though, is that many of these bills are directed specifically at academic time only and don't address breaks and lunch. Another issue is that schools may say they have a policy that phones are kept away during class time, but students often still have access to their phones. They may be supposed to keep them in their lockers or their backpacks, but then they keep them on themselves, or in some instances, they're just allowed to keep them wherever they want to.
This year, millions of students are experiencing a major shift: school days without phones, smartwatches, or other personal devices. Today we explore the wins, hurdles, and solutions helping schools succeed. We also share our resources that you can use to support technology policy changes in your schools.
READ MORE >
I recently sat down with middle school principal Zach at his school in Washington State. We talked about the challenges Zach and his team faced in his early years as principal when students used phones during school, and how he brought about a powerful transformation by having phones and smartwatches put away in locked pouches for the whole school day. In today’s blog, to raise awareness of the challenges, I share five real examples from Zach of the troubling ways students use phones at school to be unkind.
READ MORE >
It is with great pleasure that I share with you today a piece that Lisa Tabb and I did for Jonathan Haidt's (Author of The Anxious Generation) and researcher Zack Rausch's Substack blog — After Babel. In it, we discuss the rise in use of smartwatches in elementary schools and the problems they pose. There is a real cost to arming (pun intended) our kids with these devices and sending them to school. Now is the time to stop and fully address this topic and ensure that schools become smartwatch and phone-free.
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.
