| |
Building a Community of Champions for Healthy Cell Phone Habits | |
Heads Up
Phones Down
An Initiative of our Community Foundation
| |
This Edition:
A Summer Beyond the Screen
| | Our local School District 51 took a big step toward helping students improve their well-being by implementing a new cell phone policy at the start of the school year and has reported positive changes from the policy. We want to help our community continue the momentum of “More Social, Less Media” after the school year ends by offering resources that families can use to create a “A Summer Beyond the Screen”. | | |
Encourage Thoughtful Tech Use
Create a Family Tech Plan
| | |
Try creating a Family Tech Plan to set expectations for summer screen use. Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the digital landscape for children and families. Their website offers ratings and reviews for a wide range of media, including movies, TV shows, games, and apps. Additionally, they have developed Family Tech Planners to assist parents in encouraging their children to think critically about technology use and to cultivate safe, kind, and healthy online habits. These planners cater to different age groups (ages 2-8, 9-12, and 13+) and are available in both English and Spanish. You can find them here: Family Tech Planners | Common Sense Media.
| | |
Making the Most of Summer
Conversations About Digital Media and Mental Health
| | The Family Dinner Project is a non-profit organization that helps families connect over mealtime by providing healthy recipes, suggested conversation topics, and ideas for fun around the table. Try their “100 Alternatives to ‘How was your day?’” to get the dinner table conversation started. | |
| Swap Screen Time for Family Fun | | If your kids are twiddling their thumbs without a screen to scroll on, try some fun activities to help them forget about their phones. Author and researcher Jonathan Haidt emphasizes the importance of not just taking away screens, but replacing them with real-world experiences. One idea, provided by BetterScreenTime.com, is to host a Family Blackout Night. This activity can be as simple or as elaborate as your family wants to make it, from a candlelit board game night with “special occasion” snacks, to a themed dance party DJ’d by one of the kids. Find great ideas, and a free Family Blackout Night kit, here. | |
| Ben Tracy, founder of Safe Social Network, recently spoke to middle school and high school students in Delta County about risky online behaviors and potential consequences, as well as practical things students should be aware of to be safer online. He advised students not to post anything that doesn’t pass “the grandma rule” – if Grandma was looking over your shoulder, would you post this? He encouraged students to do two things after getting home from school: go through their social media accounts and delete any posts that don’t pass the Grandma test, and delete any friends or followers that they don’t know. | | | |
Algorithms Keep Parents in the Dark
Elizabeth Clark
Daily Sentinel | March 26, 2025
Mental health therapist Elizabeth Clark wrote in The Daily Sentinel about how tech companies discourage parents from limiting their children’s screen time. Because tech companies rely on addictive algorithms to keep their users scrolling, they feed into parents’ fears to keep parents from intervening. Elizabeth counters common arguments, such as kids getting left behind if their technology use is restricted, or parenting is harder with screen time limits, in this piece.
Keep Reading...
| | | |
New Colorado Law Requires School Cell Phone Policies
May 1, 2025
Governor Jared Polis signed a new law requiring every Colorado school district to adopt and develop a cell phone policy that works for their communities by Fall 2026. Colorado joins 19 other states that have adopted some sort of school cell phone policy.
Mesa County School District 51 Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill was invited to the governor’s office for the signing of the new law. District 51’s work with their More Social, Less Media initiative has garnered statewide recognition for its leadership in implementing a successful school cell phone policy that has made “a tangible difference in our schools,” according to Dr. Hill. In his Superintendent’s weekly update on May 2, Dr. Hill writes that students across Colorado will benefit from the new law.
Read more...
| | | |
A current area of focus for our Community Foundation is the mental health and well-being of young people. Heads Up, Phones Down provides information and resources for our community to foster healthier social media and technology habits that promote more face-to-face interactions and better mental health.
We invite parents, educators and community members to join us in this effort. Learn more about our work here.
| | The Western Colorado Community Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity established by local community leaders in 1996. We serve a seven county region that includes Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco Counties. We are growing steadily and now manage over 330 charitable funds totaling over $184 million in assets and will award over $8.3 million in grants and scholarships last year. | |
(970) 243-3767
PO Box 4334
Grand Junction, CO 81502
| | | | |
