Off And Away From Screens For The Day

It is no secret that too much screen time (and especially social media) can harm the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Countless amounts of research including a recent study published by JAMA, have highlighted the detrimental effects of social media and too much screen time on the developing brain. On 1/29, US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy declared on CNN Newsroom, that he believes “13 is too young for children to be on social media platforms.” In early January a Seattle public school district filed a lawsuit against several big tech companies for their role in the current child and adolescent mental health crisis. Right here in Scarsdale, teachers have reported struggling to teach their students.

English teacher Rachel Stark describes how some students in her classes are less focused, more easily distracted, and less able to work with sustained attention. She also notes that her student’s brains are already so overstimulated by everything they see on their phones (from texts to images on social media), that by the time they are sitting in her class, many students are already mentally fatigued. Both Stark and another English teacher report that students today aren’t able to handle the same amount of reading and writing assignments as Games to engage in rather than a phone.students were able to just a decade ago. Ms. Stark points out that this isn’t the fault of her students and instead sees unfettered access to smart devices as one of the main contributing factors to the decline of these academic skills. While the issue is thorny and difficult to broach, Ms. Stark remains hopeful that the Scarsdale High School community can still affect change.

In response to what they have witnessed in their own classrooms, and to help their students avoid some of the pitfalls of screen use, the Wellness Committee at SHS led by English teacher Jennifer Rosenzweig and Director of Counseling Oren Iosepovici , created an initiative to help educate and empower their students to make healthy choices about screen use. After years of research and advocacy, the initiative finally got underway at the start of the 2022/23 school year. The initiative as described by Rosenzweig, doesn’t aim to ban all technology but rather to teach children how to use it mindfully, to give them guidelines to use technology in a beneficial way, and to encourage students and faculty to create a culture at school that promotes focus, attention, creativity, and connection.

To maintain momentum from the beginning of the school year and to remind students of the importance of stowing away devices for the day, the SHS Wellness Committee (with support of the faculty and administration) hosted its first “Off And Away For The Day” event. On Monday, January 30th, students began the third quarter with all the bells and whistles of a festive celebration. Posters lined the hallways reminding students to use their devices mindfully. Games like chess, Connect Four, Scrabble, and even ping pong were played in the common areas. Students (and faculty alike) stopped to try their hand at Rubik’s Cubes that were placed throughout the school, and people lined up to take instant photos at an old time photo booth with fun and silly props. To foster a sense of celebration, music played overhead during passing periods while a swath of parent volunteers handed out treats to passing students.Principal Ken Bonamo, Director of Counseling Oren iosepovici, English Teacher Jennifer Roesenzweig, Psychologist Peter Faustino

Ms. Stark hoped that the “Off and Away for the Day” event “not only served as a reminder of the harmful effects of too much screen time, but also created a culture of joy and positivity and reminded students how wonderful it feels to be in the present moment, to connect with peers and community, and to just give their brains time to rest.” To that end, the event was a huge success, the halls were buzzing with a happy energy, students were laughing while taking silly Polaroid pics, they crowded around lively games of ping pong, and volunteers were met with huge smiles from grateful students for all of the yummy treats.

When asked about the event, senior Jedd Frydman reported, “I love it! It is refreshing to see so many kids not on their phones worrying about social media, and instead being in the moment and having fun with their friends. It is also really nice to be in a class where teachers care and understand the importance of trying to use technology more mindfully.” Another senior, Henry Nova, added, “ It is a really nice day and gesture, but I wish it was the whole year…that it was somehow built into the structure of our high school.”

Fun at the photo station.While Rosenzweig is thrilled the event was well-received by students, parents, and faculty alike, she also hopes that it will serve as a call to action and inspire our community (from parents to administrators) to take more steps to ensure that children are taught how to use their devices safely and supported with appropriate guidelines and boundaries. For comparison, Rosenzweig relates, “We wouldn’t let a three year old walk outside and expect them to know how to cross the street and safely navigate traffic all by themselves. It is the same with the use of smart devices, children need our support and guidance…they need us to provide clear boundaries so they can learn how to use technology in a safe and healthy way.”

While some parents might feel overwhelmed by the prominence of screens and social media in their children’s lives, and feel like there is nothing they can do to stop it, others remain hopeful. Parent and volunteer for the event, Jennifer Kahan shared, “I feel really proud of our Scarsdale High School teachers and students for breathing life into the District's "Off and Away for the Day" Initiative today. Thank you to the District for realizing the role our faculty and our parent body play in modeling this behavior for our teens. As the "adults in the room," it is our job to give our kids "permission" to do the right thing: put down the phone at school. It's that thing they deep down know is right but it's also that thing that is so very, very hard to do, especially when you feel alone in the crowd. This is a gift we can start to give to our students now. The more we communicate this message and the more we practice it, the more our kids can start to live a more focused, present, less screen-addled academic and social life.”

Volunteers Alice Gorelick and Julie Zhu at a snack table.

In an ideal world, both Stark and Rosenzweig would love to provide their students with a school day free from the distraction of their phones and social media. They would prefer if students always kept their smart phones off and away during the school hours to give them the opportunity to fully engage with their classes and peers during this short time. While discussions about how best to support students in the age of social media continues, Ms. Stark suggests parents take some of these small steps to start making big changes:

-Adults can model mindful use of their own devices. Try to be present during conversations and choose screen free activities to do on your own and as a family.Volunteers Jennfier Kahan and Attiya Malik

-Try making mealtimes screen free…even better, try having a “phone-free” day once a weekend.

-Try to avoid having “everything” on your phone. Use a paper calendar or read a physical book.

-Keep phones out of the bedroom at bedtime.

-Reassure your children that they are safe at school and will still be able to communicate with parents in an emergency even if they leave their phone at home.

-Try to avoid texting or calling your child during the school day and encourage them to wait to call or text you.

-Small groups of parents across the US have started to band together to challenge “big tech.” If compelled, try gathering a group of like-minded parents to do the same.

Rosenzweig also suggests parents start having conversations with each other, their children and with school administration to talk about what other steps we can take to ensure healthy guidelines and boundaries. Rosenzweig believes that like the Seattle school district, Scarsdale can and should be a leader in this area.

Wendy MacMillan, the author of this article, is a volunteer at SHS and helped to organize the “Off And Away For The Day” Event.