Ditching the Cell Phone and Embracing Interpersonal Connection

For the past two years, we have been actively working on reducing students’ exposure to social media by effectively enacting our phone policy. The research is out there, from various UNESCO reports, to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory warning in May 2023, along with Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book released in this spring, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, which all implore adults in children’s lives to reduce how much time they are spending on their phones.

 

In June, the Nova Scotia government agreed and issued a new directive to all schools in the province that no phones should be in classes, unless for instructional use (as directed by teachers), and further, that no elementary student should have their phone out during the school day.

 

At King's-Edgehill School (KES), our phone policy states that cell phones will not be permitted during regular school hours. The first time a student is caught using a device without permission, they will have their device confiscated for the day. The second time a student is caught using a device without permission they will have their device confiscated for a period of three days.

 

We are three weeks into the school year, and the results of the implementation of our policy are tangible. We see students in the student lounge (“the Slounge”) talking to each other, instead of looking at screens, and our hallways are filled with chatter and eye contact. Not only do we know this is better for their mental health, but all of this leads to a greater sense of belonging and community here at school which is the magic of our KES culture.

 

Although we have a strongly worded policy, we also do not feel that it is enough to simply take away a student’s phone. We also need to teach them how to use social media positively. As such, we have signed on with The Social Institute to provide resources for our advisors, teachers, students, and parents about tech use. Throughout the year, our students will engage in at least seven lessons through their advisory period, where as a group they will unpack what it means to be a digital citizen, how to develop a personal brand, and what to be cautious of when online.

 

KES parents have full access to the Social Institute’s toolkit which contains information about all the social media platforms currently being used by youth, opportunities to converse about social scenarios, and highlights examples of social media being used for good.