We Haven't Forgotten

Early in the school year we had a discussion about the ubiquitous presence of smartphones in our district, particularly in the high school. To refresh your memory, I would encourage you to checkout the September 25th installment of my blog titled Smartphones in Schools. The cliff note version is that we were seeking community feedback on whether or not our policies needed to be strengthened and an invitation to join us in our quest to learn more by reading Jonathan Haidt's book, The Anxious Generation. That post was followed up by a survey and a November 5th article titled What You Told Me About Cell Phones. In that column, I shared results that indicated 63% of respondents believed that our cell phone policy needs to be strengthened. During this interim period, there has been very little in the way of discussion about this topic, at least in this blog. Yet that's not to say we haven't been engaged in policy discussions and proposals. In fact, those policies currently do exist in draft form and were scheduled for a first reading at the November 20 school board meeting. However, after reviewing those policies and debating them on their merits, I recommended the board table action on the policy. The consensus being that we needed just a little more time to iron out some inconsistencies and logistics. Throughout this dialogue I have asked that we take our time so as to get our policy position right. 

Then in December we learned the governor was going to propose a legislative policy on cell phone usage in schools. So, I recommended the board table action until we learned more about what the governor would propose. Even so this work has continued slowly in the background, along with a standing discussion on the school board agenda as one of our items of 'unfinished business' for the school year. In any event, the governor's proposal was introduced last week in the Senate as SSB 1065. The bill includes much of what one might expect in a cell phone 'ban' bill, primarily among them a restriction on student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time. This proposal sets the floor for restrictions and further authorizes the Board of Directors to adopt policies that are more stringent. However, what is most interesting, and perhaps helpful, is a proposed legislative mandate that includes instruction related to the effects of social media for grades 6-8. So our work continues. We will monitor this bill through the process and offer suggestions and insights as it moves through the process. In my view, this is a great starting point. 

Meanwhile our book study continues. In part 4 of The Anxious Generation, Haidt argues that collective action is needed in order to tackle and counteract the negative effects of overuse of electronic devices in classroom. What action is needed formed the crux of the question I asked my administrative cabinet at our last meeting. What exactly is the problem that we are trying to solve, I asked them? If it is merely to combat the distractions caused by devices during instructional time (in class), then our current policies are likely sufficient. However, if instead our goal is to improve the mental health outcomes of our students then we likely need to go much further. I then pondered somewhat rhetorically, in twenty years are we going to have causal data that links extreme mental illness in children to the effects of electronic devices? Could we be looking at the next 'Big Tobacco' moment in American history? 

Perhaps. Haidt argues collective action is needed in order to address this issue. Schools are certainly part of the solution. But so too are the tech companies. When called to the carpet for the damaging impact of their products, tech companies will look their accuser in the eye, and with a wink and a nod tell you their products aren't intended for users under the age of 13. In fact, it is federal law. These companies are relying on the honor system to enforce these laws. How hard is it to create a fake profile? It's not. However, the technology for age verification exists; but these measures would impact the bottom line, it's all about the 'hook'. If you read nothing else in Haidt's book, read pages 230-231 where he claims that internal documents obtained from Meta show they have considered how to reach children as young as 4! (The Anxious Generation, Chapter 9 page 231).

Collective action. If we use the metaphor of a stool, I think it perfectly encapsulates the idea of collective action. We need schools to have strong policies regarding the usage of personal electronic devices in schools along with an educational component that teaches not only appropriate use but the negative mental health impacts of overuse. We need tech companies to implement strong age verification protocols to protect young people from harmful content. And finally, we need parental support. Indeed, a supermajority: 63% of respondents indicated that we need to strengthen our policies. That is impressive. But at the same time, 37% disagree with that statement. And a subset of that 37% have very strong feelings. While I may not agree with some of the reasoning surrounding these objections, I can empathize with those feelings. It is then, incumbent on all of use to underscore the rationale behind a policy change while at the same time incorporating into those policies measures that mitigate those fears. 

Our work continues and we haven't forgotten!