In a little village in Orange County, NY, sits a high school of about 1,000 students. Within this high school is a fabulous school librarian (and my best friend) who is innovative in the lessons she teaches. Collaborating with English teachers of the senior class to assist with the mandatory research paper students must complete before graduation, Ms. B, as her students call her, just completed an eye-opening unit on screen time. I had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. B and hear about the astonishing data her students mined from their in-class research. I share this with you, hoping to make us all more aware of how distracting our phones are and to help us become more present in our own lives.
Ms. B says part of her lessons came from Common Sense Media , which provides digital media literacy lessons for teachers, with a section that allows parents to view various forms of media and determine how appropriate they are for their own children. She focused part of her lesson on media balance and well-being and utilized The Health Effects of Screen Time information for her multiday lesson.
The lesson starts with students watching a video that reviews recent research surrounding screen time. Students discuss the positive and negative effects of screen time in class. They are then asked to evaluate their own screen time and are given three post-it notes. On the first, they write their average daily screen time. On the second, they indicate which social media site they spend most of their time on. On the last, they indicate their daily average number of pickups. In this year’s class, the smallest daily average screen time was 3 hours 57 minutes, and the largest was 13 hours 41 minutes! The smallest number of pickups was 36, and the largest was 352 a day.
Ms. B then creates a chart with the entire senior class’s data. The large bar graph takes over a wall in her library. In class the following day, the students analyze the data and reflect on the following: Does the information surprise you? What impact do you think your amount of screen time has on you personally? Educationally? And in your relationships? She then asks them if it would be hard for them to not look at their phone for 30 minutes. She poses different circumstances to make the challenge of not touching their phones more difficult. Ms. B finds that most students think 30 minutes would be very easy, but she estimates that 90% of her students pick up their phones immediately and are on them whenever there’s even the smallest break in the lesson.
A week later, Ms. B challenged her students to put their phones down. They were offered a reward (grade-wise) if they participated. All of her students managed to put their phones down in a designated location, face down. At the end of the 30-minute period, most students admitted that they struggled with not checking their phones. She even noted students needing to pace, bounce their legs, and constantly look at the table where their phones were being held.
In discussing this lesson with Ms. B, I realized how much time I spend picking up and using my phone for entertainment purposes. Honestly, I was nervous to see what my screen time breakdown would show. I actually sighed in relief when I saw that my two most commonly used apps were Netflix and Messages. Being aware of how much time I spend on my phone has helped me resolve to read more, play more, and move more this year. It’s a personal challenge to check the data and see that I am using my phone less each week. In addition to freeing up time, I am setting a good example for healthy phone stewardship for my teenage boys.
So, Ms. B and I would like to challenge you, the families of Allied Physicians Group, to do some research and analysis at home. Attached are directions for checking your phone’s usage and the questions she poses to her class. Discuss as a family your highs, lows, and averages. Which apps do you use most often? Are notifications from apps you don’t use as often causing you to check your phone more frequently? Turn those off. Set timers for usage. Utilize the “Do Not Disturb” feature. Do not bring your phones to bed; leave them in another room overnight so you aren’t tempted to check them when you wake up. Try the 30-minute challenge yourselves. Reflect as a family: How did you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally when you didn’t have instant access? Lastly, consider setting new screen time goals at home. You never know what new connections you may find when you come out from behind the screen.
Android Phones:- Open your device's Settings app.
- Tap Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls.
- The chart shows your device use today. For more info, tap the chart. For example: Screen time—What apps have you had on screen and for how long?
- To get more info or change app settings, tap a listed app.
- Open your device's Settings app.
- Tap Screen Time.
- The chart shows your device use today. For more info, tap “See All App & Website Activity.” For example: Screen time—What apps do you have on screen and for how long?
- To get more info or change app settings, tap a listed app.
- Does the information you just looked at surprise you?
- What impact do you think your amount of screen time has on you personally? What impact do you think your amount of screen time has on your education?
- What impact do you think your amount of screen time has on your relationships?
- How hard would it be for you to NOT look at your phone for 30 minutes? Think of different circumstances, i.e., during lunch, during class, while watching TV, when hanging out with friends, etc.
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/
- Digital Literacy Resources for Families: https://www.getdigitalskills.org/
- PBS - Digital Health and Wellness