THE GROWING ROLE OF CELLPHONES IN THE LIVES OF MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

Jane Ellis

Background

During my four years of teaching 4th grade at Greene Street Friends School, I saw an increase in the number of students who owned cell phones each year. Throughout the pandemic, I also saw the reliance on technology skyrocket as students were trapped in their homes, with devices being their only pathway for social connection at such a crucial time of development. As I transitioned into the role of Middle School dean, I was intrigued on a larger scale about the growing use of cell phones and the effect that it had on both school and home life.

Discoveries/Learnings/Explorations

In May 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on social media and youth mental health. The deleterious effects that social media can have, and how Pavlovianly attached we are to our phones, especially affects teens who are prone to risk-taking behavior, susceptible to depression, and still have highly sensitive developing brains. There is also data that shows we do not get adequate sleep when there is technology in the room we sleep in. So, how do we convey this to students, parents, and families? How can we still highlight the pros of social media (it’s used by 95% of youth aged 13-17) while also providing guardrails and safeguards to its effects. In order to best understand the impact that technology has on our middle schoolers, I sent a survey directly to students to ask about their technology use and their thoughts on social media. If anyone is going to be honest with you about their thoughts and feelings about a topic, it’s a middle schooler! This survey was given to middle school students Grades 5-8 at Greene Street Friends School. The questions are listed below:

1. Do you own a cell phone?

• If yes, in what grade did you receive your phone?

• If no, what is the reason why you do not have a phone yet?

2. Do you think students should be able to carry their phone around at school? Please explain. Be honest.

3. If you own a phone, are you allowed to keep it in your room at night?

4. What technology rules do you have at home? (This could be for cellphones, ipads, TV, etc.)

5. What do you like about social media? What do you dislike about social media?

Teenagers are incredibly bright and aware. The answers around question 2, “Do you think students should be able to carry their phones around school?” were a majority “no.” They said it would be a distraction, kids would take advantage, and it would cause drama. The majority that responded “yes” to carrying phones around school cited the reason for needing to contact parents or if an emergency were to occur. A particularly compelling answer came from a 7th grader, who responded, “No. I don’t think it’s fair that some can be able to bring it around while others have nothing. I think it also takes away the special part of school which involves communication and not being sucked into a screen.”

As for social media, many of them answered with similar positive and negative impacts. For positive impacts, they like that social media is funny, informative, entertaining, a great way to connect with people, and a place to be creative. What they disliked about social media was that it had inappropriate content, hateful comments, people could be mean, it caused drama, was very distracting and addictive, and could lead to online bullying/harassment. Just like in Surgeon General Murthy’s advisory, our students are well aware of both the positive and negative impacts of social media.

Some other interesting fndings were that 70% of students who own a phone also said that they were allowed to keep their phone in their rooms at night. Answers around technology rules at home varied between three different categories. Some students had no rules at all, stating “complete freedom” or “no rules.” Others had stricter rules such as “no phones after 7PM and at the dinner table,” and some students stated broader rules such as “as long as my homework is done” or “don’t spend all day on it.”

Next Steps

The next steps revolve around how to best convey this information to families. How can we connect them with up-to-date information and data on the effects of technology for middle school students. I’d like to look into different school policies on technology rules to see what’s implemented in neighboring school’s policies and student handbooks. I do believe there needs to be more than just stating policy in handbooks. I’d like to see if we can generate guidelines for families to use at home to help create healthy boundaries surrounding technology and social media. I also think that would show a strong partnership and consistency between what’s being said at school and at home. Parents are eager for more guidance and with so much of our students’ days being spent at school, it is important that they are hearing similar messages from the caring adults in their lives.

JANE ELLIS

Middle School Dean & Co-Director of the Teaching Associate Program Greene Street Friends School Philadelphia, PA

This year officially marks my 10th year in education with more than half of them spent in Friends education. Whether working with elementary, middle, or high schoolers, I have always found the relationships to be the most exciting and challenging aspect. Specifcally, in Friends education, I have seen the value of teaching the whole child, more than what they can score on a standardized test and what parts of them shine as we explore their light within. Understanding the plethora of different factors that affect what kind of citizen they become and getting to be part of that experience is incredibly meaningful work. It is an honor to be part of the process of helping a child, especially in some of their most formative years, to build agency and encourage them to share their gifts.