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Suzanne's avatar

I expect the biggest problem is the news. Teens are at the age when they really begin to see the world as a whole.

It's frustrating to me that none of the options are to turn off the algorithms various social media platforms use. Showing people a time ordered feed of the people they purposefully follow first with the option of discovery as something they have to click over to see might do wonders for a majority of all of us.

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Missy's avatar

Dr. Jetelina & Dr. Nesi, I am curious about your thoughts on Yondr phone pouches in high schools. My child's high school is implementing a Yondr pouch policy beginning this fall. Currently, each classroom has numbered phone"sleeves". Students are required to place their phone in a sleeve at the beginning of each class and they take it when they leave at the end. The sleeves are numbered so teachers can tell quickly whose phone is there and whose might be missing. However, my understanding is that some teachers enforce this rule and some don't (which I'm sure is par for the course in a large school).

The new policy would require each student to place their phone (also smartwatches and AirPods) in a locking pouch when they enter the building. It remains in the pouch for the entire day and staff members with handheld unlocking devices "free" the phones when students leave at the end of the day.

The reasoning for this is that students spend too much time on their phones and too little time interacting with each other and socializing. The administration believes that this will benefit students' mental health by creating a more inclusive environment, kids talking in the cafeteria instead of looking at phones, etc.

I have reservations about this (for a variety of reasons). I believe that it will further isolate the "fringe" kids. For some, lunch period is stressful because they don't have a group to sit with in the cafeteria. Those kids rely on their phones to have some outside interaction during an otherwise lonely time during the day. I know my son uses his phone sometimes to text friends whom he doesn't otherwise see in his classes, so they catch up, make plans for after school, etc. He would have less social time with those friends if he has no contact during the day.

I realize this isn't specifically related to social media because the phone is just a device -- lots of kids have phones and don't have social media. My kids (ages 17 and 12) both use phones for texting, Facetime with friends, and other purposes but neither has any social media apps or accounts (17yo isn't interested; 12yo asks but we're waiting).

However, our kids live in a digital world. I don't think literally locking up their phones during the day teaches them how to properly manage the digital environment. I want my kids to know when it is or is not appropriate to use their phone, and for what purposes. My 17-year-old checks his phone in between classes because the majority of their academic work is posted to Google Classroom (our district provides every student with a Chromebook), so he's always looking at his phone for Classroom notifications, changes to assignments, comments from teachers, etc. In addition, the groups and activities all communicate using apps like GroupMe or Discord. So, when club plans or after-school activities change, he receives that communication on his phone. I think preventing students from having any access will make things unduly burdensome without serving the intended purpose.

I would be so curious to hear your thoughts on phone use among kids, generally, even outside the social media context. As always, thank you for proving timely and data-driven information!

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