Cell phone docking stations inside schools could become part of school life soon.
There is no dispute that Gen Alpha and Gen Z lead much more technologically-involved lives than the generations before them. Before them, millennials did not grow up with smart phones, tablets and broad, unfettered access to the internet. While technology has evolved over the years, so has the awareness of its impact on our youth.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved legislation on May 15 that could limit cell phone usage in Ohio schools during the school day. House Bill 250 requires all Ohio school districts to enact policies regarding cell phone usage during school hours. Official policies must be completed by all schools by July 2025, in advance of the 2025-26 school year. That gives schools roughly one year to draft and then enact their strategies in compliance with the law.
The aim of the new law is to enhance students’ academic performance and improve social interactions. During free time or lunch students spend time checking their social media accounts or scrolling the Web rather than interacting with their peers.
The governor hopes that the new law will “reestablish the opportunity for students across Ohio to immerse themselves in their classwork, learn from their teachers and create lifelong memories with their closest friends.” The governor also stated that the new law intends to curb bullying and improve students’ mental health.
The American Academy of Pediatrics found that children ages 8 to 12 watch or use screens four-to-six hours a day, while teenagers spend roughly up to nine hours a day doing the same. They suggest limiting screens for children ages 6 and older, turning off screens during family meals and outings and turning off screens and removing them from bedrooms 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
“Excessive smartphone use is associated with psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, medical and brain changes,” according to a study published in the Frontiers of Psychiatry in 2021 titled “Excessive Smartphone Use is Associated with Health Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults.”
It has also been shown to negatively impact healthy sleep by altering melatonin levels, school performance and confidence, especially among females.
Moreover, limiting screen time could improve mental health by reducing the risk of anxiety and depression linked to excessive use of social media and other digital platforms. Cleveland Clinic notes that anxiety and depression can occur due to “unrealistic expectation” and “perceptions” of what children see on social media.
Additionally, the U.S. Surgeon General warns that when teenagers are on social media more than three hours a day, their risk of depression and anxiety double. Children who are on their screens too much also are experiencing worsening body image, an increase in tics, exposure to online predators and dangerous viral trends and cyberbullying.
In his New York Times bestseller, “The Anxious Generation,” Jonathan Haidt explains fallbacks of our ever-increasing digital society, including the increases in mental illness since the advent of social media and digital access. Haidt maintains that our society has moved away from a healthier, play-based model of childhood, which helps to build resilience in children.
Haidt urges children to avoid smartphones before high school and social media before age 16. One of Haidt’s tips is to ban phones from school, which is DeWine’s plan.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has provided a model policy for Ohio school districts that includes prohibited usage and recommendations for storage.
There will be exceptions made for what school officials determine to be “health-related needs” or “educational purposes.” These exceptions have yet to be defined and could pose potential challenges to the law. It is possible that still others may challenge the law based on the seeming impact on personal freedoms.
What still is yet to be determined is who can be legally accountable when a child becomes depressed from scrolling the web or bullied on an online social media platform. It may soon become harder for digital corporations to hide behind their url’s when it comes to our children’s health.
This article originally appeared as a column for the Cleveland Jewish News.