Phone-Free School Days: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How to Fix It
This school year, millions of students are experiencing something new: policies that require phones, smartwatches, and other devices to be put away for the day.
The science is clear about why this matters. Phone-free schools improve students’ mental health, sharpen their learning, and strengthen their sense of belonging, while also reducing bullying. The benefits are being documented globally. In the Netherlands, a recent study compared schools before and after adopting away-for-the-day policies and found that the majority of students reported their social lives had improved.
Parents are noticing as well. In Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition, a longtime Dutch teacher shared that he had never received so many thank-you notes from families as he did after his school adopted phone-free policies.
Teachers have been calling for this change for a long time. Jonathan Haidt, featured in both Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age and Screenagers Elementary School Age Edition, has put it bluntly: “I hear from teachers every day who say they’re quitting because it’s just no fun anymore. You can’t get the kids’ attention.”
It is no wonder teachers, like parents, are celebrating. In Screenagers Next Chapter, a Washington principal recalls that when she announced the new rules, her staff literally cheered. Recent data reveals the level of teachers’ excitement.
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