Technology and Teens
It seems like everyone in the world, carries a phone in hand either at home, school, or in a work environment as technology advances each day. The question is though, how much is it being used and is it benefiting one’s mental health? According to Common Sense Media, in the 2023 Constant Companion Report, students use about 126 minutes (about 2 hours) of their school day on social media.
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| Image Source : Commonsensemedia.org |
I found the graph above interesting, and it made me wonder what kind of policies schools have in place with the use of cell phones during the school day. I know in the school district I work at, the current policy for students is phones are not used during school hours and put away in a backpack. At the high school where my children attend, they are a little more flexible with use depending on the class. Some teachers let students quietly listen to music while working on assignments or use their phone to participate in an activity. These uses of the phone are acceptable if the usage does not become a disruption to class time. Now let us examine the time that students use during school nights.
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| Image Source : Commonsourcemedia.org |
Common Sense Media, in the graph above, focused on school night usage data from the hours of midnight to 5am (excluding holidays) on Mondays through Fridays. After examining the data, I am honestly not surprised by the data. How can students be successful when they have phones in the classroom and are up at crazy hours with their phones? As a parent of teens, myself and one who works in a classroom, I am not saying we ban phone usage, but suggesting limiting the usage. According to an article from NEAToday, schools need to be more consistent with their phone usage policies and may need to “rewrite the playbook.” Students need to be informed in many creative ways of how to manage their wellbeing with the use of technology, especially those that have mental disorders. Social media provides communication for students, but other issues arise that affect their wellbeing. They become attached and cannot disconnect from their phones and then their attention to the life outside of their phone is affected.
As I continued to examine other resources, I was surprised by this data I found on PEW Research Center.
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| Image Source : Pewresearch.org |
I was surprised that in this survey, 41% of teens feel that their parents are not worried about their social media use. Why is this? Children are given phones at an earlier age due to being in activities or for being able to communicate with parents. As parents give phones to their children, they address them on internet safety and the use of their phones. How many begin to access sites or download apps without the consent of their parents?
Image Source : Psychologytoday.com
How does this affect education?
Teens are still children and still under the guidance of their parents. With the collaboration of teachers and parents, together we must work to provide continued guidance to finding balance and support for our future. This begins right from the beginning. As technology advances and students are becoming more technologically dependent. I feel if we do not do anything, students will begin to be affected negatively. How can we as educators change this to help lifelong learners succeed?
This is such a great blog! I really like how you mentioned cell phone usage during the school day. At my district, the middle schoolers have to keep their phones turned off and in their lockers. With that being said, most social media websites are blocked on their ChromeBooks BUT students have found a way to go around the blockage and still access social media. It is amazing to see that 13 year old students are finding a way around this! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBridget, When my two older daughters were in middle school, their Chromebooks issued by the school blocked certain sites. I was thankful for that, but of course as my kids get older, I have a concern for what they are accessing.
DeleteHi Sara, I really enjoyed your blog post and I also share the same concerns regarding cell phone and social media usage for teenagers. It was shocking how high the percentage was that teens felt their parents were not concerned with social media. Perhaps it is because the parents did not grow up with social media in school that they do not understand the impact it can have. I think in addition to teaching students how to safely use the internet, the parents also need to learn about it.
ReplyDeleteElena, I use social media myself. I also try to see follow my kids on sites like Facebook and Instagram. I am not online a whole lot, but my concern lies when they access social media sites that I don't use. What are they seeing? I did not really grow up with social media, computer, or cell phone.
DeleteHI Sara- I would agree that this inconsistency on "rules" for cell phones is a big part of the problem. I know for the ones that bend the rules about having phones in their rooms is for ease and some quiet time. Student do need to have that brain break which is something brought up in the Common Sense article. The other part that I think is difficult is parents have different rules at home so that is brought into the school and classroom. I wish we had a better, clearer picture of how to create better structures for teens. Have you found anything that works for your family?
ReplyDeleteKatie, this topic actually hits home for me. I have a daughter who suffers with her mental health. I tried to hold out on giving her a phone, but when she became active with dance and more social with friends, she needed to be reachable by us. With teens, definitely harder to control their usage since their lives revolve around technology. When two of my girls got their phones, we would say that phones were plugged into the kitchen by 9pm and not in their bedrooms. That worked for awhile, but now we are onto new phases.
DeleteThese are such important topics! Phone use by teens isn't going to go away. Do we need to focus on digital well being strategies instead of bans? So much to unpack- thanks for starting the discussion, Sara.
ReplyDeleteNicole, this is so true! I feel like it is becoming more of a problem, but feel like it is not being brought enough. Teens don't see it as a problem until something affects them emotionally. Digital well being should be one of those topics that should be talked about more often in a school and home setting.
DeleteYou made some excellent points about cell phones and how their usage should be limited. At my school district, phones are expected to be locked away in lockers during the school day. There is a cell phone policy where cell phones can be confiscated and then only picked up by parents after a certain number of cell phone violations. I do agree with you that parents and schools should partner to provide guidance to students on cell phone use and how to limit use.
ReplyDeleteMegan, every student deserves an education, but there has got to be consistency across the board with phone use. I have come across various articles online about the affects and just wonder what is the ideal answer to all of this?
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