Containing Cellphone Harm

Type: Article
Topics: School Administrator Magazine, Technology & AI

November 01, 2022

Schools begin to address students’ preoccupation with devices, contributing to an improved classroom climate

My daughter Tessa begged me for a smartphone when she was 12. I had several concerns, including my fear that Tessa would always want to be on it. We waited another year, and Tessa became a smartphone owner at 13. Not long after that, I spoke with one of Tessa’s teachers, who mentioned that Tessa was sitting in the back of the classroom and spending a lot of time on her phone during class. I was upset but knew I needed to stay calm when asking Tessa about this that night.

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Author

Delaney Ruston

Physician and director/producer

"Screenagers"

Additional Resources

The Screenagers staff suggests these information resources for school districts.

  • Away for the Day provides information, including justifications and sample responses to common pushbacks that arise, research, policies and promotional posters about the Away for the Day initiative.
  • Center for Humane Technology offers a youth toolkit relating to social media use.
  • Common Sense Media presents technology recommendations for families and schools.
  • iGen Research features a 7-minute video titled “iGen: The Smartphone Generation” highlighting the research of Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University who studies generational differences.

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