PCPS joins ‘Fireside Chat’ with First Lady Youngkin and Dr. Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation’, on effort toward ‘cell phone-free schools’
By Randy Arrington
STANLEY, Sept. 19 — While Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order on July 9 requesting stricter guidance from the Virginia Department of Education on creating “cell phone-free education in K-12,” Page County Public Schools has been discussing the issue for more than two years, formed a committee about 15 months ago, and formally adopted a division policy on Aug. 8. With that policy being fully implemented this month, school officials and parents gathered at the Page County Technical Center on Thursday night to join a “Fireside Chat” livestream with First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin and Dr. Jonathan Haidt, author of the 2024 release, “The Anxious Generation.”
“Virginia is leading the country on how to do this,” Dr. Haidt said during the hour-long discussion. “Virginia did it pretty quickly and pretty thoughtfully.”
First Lady Youngkin asked Dr. Haidt a series of questions about his new book, which outlines how digital technology — specifically social media — has been “the great rewiring of childhood.” Held in Prince William County, the discussion focused on the idea that the average of 5 hours a day children spend on social media has caused rising social deprivation, sleep deprivation, loneliness, suicide, stunted maturity, and many other social and mental ills.
“This is not just a moral panic spread by the media, everyone can see it,” the NYU psychology professor told First Lady Youngkin. “There’s been a decline in education, as well as mental health issues…education around the world is down since 2012 because of this.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the VDOE released its new guidelines to create a “cell phone-free education,” and no immediate changes are being considered to Page County’s basic policy of:
- • Pre-K through 5th grade: Cell phones not allowed;
- • Grades 6 through 8: Cell phones must be silenced and should not be visible in the classroom, but students may keep them on their person or in book bags during class, and use them before, after or between classes and at lunch;
- • Grades 9 through 12: Cell phones must be silenced and stored in a “caddy” during class, and may be retrieved at the end of class and used before, after or between classes and at lunch.
The policy that Governor Youngkin and Dr. Haidt both endorse is referred to as a “bell-to-bell” policy, which basically mandates that students surrender their cell phones when they enter the building and pick them up when they leave. The main pushback that may lead to less restrictive measures in many school divisions is the desire of parents to contact their children in an emergency situation.
“That’s the most common objection…but we must do what’s best for kids, and not what’s best for our feelings in the moment. It’s natural to want to call immediately [in these situations], but it’s often not best…” stated Dr. Haidt, noting the fluid and active nature of some emergency situations where a flood of calls could disrupt wireless communication with EMS and law enforcement or delay actions being taken by school officials.
In a July 9 press release, Gov. Youngkin stated his Executive Order 33 “both establishes the clear goal to protect the health and safety of our students by limiting the amount of time they are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media and eliminates clear distractions in the classroom. It also kicks off the robust conversations among parents, students, teachers, and school and community leaders necessary to design and implement these policies and procedures at the local level… The EO directs VDOE to initiate a robust public engagement effort with parents, students, teachers, local school leaders and other stakeholders to develop collaboratively policies and procedures that establish the age-appropriate restriction or elimination of cell phone use during instructional time, as well as to establish protocols allowing parents to contact their children in emergency and other important situations.”
Not only did an abundance of public input go into the formation of the local school division’s policy, but an additional survey on cell phone use in schools was distributed this month prior to the release of VDOE guidelines. PCPS superintendent, Dr. Antonio Fox, has stated at school board meetings and at Thursday night’s event that the local division is reviewing all feedback and may consider changes to the policy in the future. However, PCPS is ahead of the curve on this issue and has already been implementing many of the measures the Governor asked for during the last two school years.
In a discussion after the livestream, PC Tech Center Principal Leigh Ann Pettit said that new policies such as mandating alternative education students in the Arise program to surrender their phones upon entering the building has been “very successful” in improving student participation and attention in class. Luray High School Principal Nicole Clark noted that she saw “more engagement” among the students after being detached from their phones and social media.
“Cell phones and digital media have caused pre-teens and teens to disconnect from the real world, have increased mental health challenges, and have caused significant disruption in the important daily learning opportunities in their classrooms,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “Parents and teachers understand the importance of creating cell phone-free education in our schools so that students can focus on instruction and learning during the school day.”
Children spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on social media, and recent studies indicate that spending more than three hours a day on social media doubles the risk of poor mental health for adolescents, according to the Governor’s report. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2019-2021 shows that the rate of suicide has increased 167 percent since 2010 for girls, and 91 percent since 2010 for boys. In the same timeframe, boys and girls experienced a spike in depression of 161 percent and 145 percent, respectively.
“The data is clear, and it is time for Virginians to come together to address the damage of social media and screens to healthy childhoods. Government cannot be the sole solution to this crisis; school communities – especially parents and teachers – must work together to discuss and develop common sense approaches to limit screen time, prioritize open channels of communication, and re-establish norms that reinforce healthy and vibrant learning communities,” stated Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera in the July 9 press release.
The VDOE and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBDHS) have made a combined $500,000 available from existing funds to support implementation of this mental health and safety initiative. The funds will support state and local efforts to facilitate family nights and community engagement on the youth mental health crisis and cell phone use best practices as well as enable school divisions in need of assistance to receive micro-grants to help implement best practices in their local community. As part of the Back-to-School Season, there will be a series of Commonwealth Conversationsacross Virginia to provide opportunities for discussion on how schools and communities can build new norms around phone usage.
“Many parents and teachers struggle to balance socializing and social media, play or learning time and screen time, and true human connection and internet connection,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet Kelly, who lead off Thursday’s livestream. “The more we learn, the more we know that too much screen time – especially time spent on addictive apps – is harmful to kids’ physical and mental health. A few weeks ago, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a formal advisory suggesting that tech companies be required to put a warning label on social media apps. Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 complements that advisory well. Too many childhoods have ended because of the wild west of addictive apps, and it is time we work together to bring childhood back.”
School systems across the Commonwealth have until Jan. 1, 2025 to develop and adopt formal policies and procedures on cell phone use in schools. The VDOE held six weeks of listening sessions across the state before submitting draft guidelines on Aug. 15. The final guidelines were released on Tuesday.
“This guidance from the Virginia Department of Education is an important step towards creating a healthier learning environment where students can receive a quality education free from harmful distractions,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin earlier this week. “I appreciate the substantive engagement from parents, teachers, administrators and our students and we will continue to engage in these discussions with parents and students on how Virginia can continue to improve these policies and keep the Commonwealth’s education system best-in-class. Together, we’re creating a healthier, safer and more focused learning environment for our children.”
At the conclusion of Thursday night’s live stream at Old Bridge Elementary, First Lady Youngkin stated, “Tonight, we’re creating a new bridge to help recapture childhood in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
You can find additional resources from the
Virginia Department of Education on Cell Phone-Free Education HERE.
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For more information about Page County Public Schools,
visit https://www.pagecounty.k12.va.us/o/pcps
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