The movement to ban smartphones from schools is gaining momentum.
Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest public school system, Vote for a smartphone ban In January, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned about the negative health effects of social media on children. Editorial The New York Times said the “youth mental health crisis is an emergency” and called for warning labels to be placed on social media systems.
But some veteran teachers say that while these moves are a step in the right direction, educators need to take a more active role in countering the negative effects of students’ excessive social media use — essentially redesigning assignments and instructional methods to teach mental focus and model how to read, write and research away from the constant interruptions of social media and app notifications.
That’s the view of Lee Underwood, who teaches 12th grade AP English literature and composition at Millikan High School in Long Beach, California, and was named Teacher of the Year in the school’s public school system for 2022.
He’s been a teacher since 2006 and remembers the days before iPhones, Instagram and TikTok, and he says he’s worried about a change in student behavior that has intensified in recent years.
“There’s a lethargy that wasn’t there before,” he says. “Students’ responses are quicker and more alert. They’re more willing to participate in conversations, and we have lively conversations.”
He tried to stick to the teaching methods that he felt had worked for him, but his students reacted differently. “For the last three or four years since COVID hit, the jokes I tell in class haven’t gone over well,” he says. “And they’re the same jokes.”
Underwood is an avid reader of popular books and articles about the impact of smartphones on today’s youth. For example, he read Jonathan Haidt’s controversial book, “The Anxious Generation,” which sparked many recent efforts by schools to do more to counter the influence of smartphones and social media.
However, while young people are facing mental health challenges, There is little scientific evidence Social media is causing these problems, they say, and on this podcast last month, Ellen Galinsky, author of a book about what brain science tells us about how to best educate teenagers, argued that banning social media could be counterproductive, and that kids need to learn how to regulate their own smartphone use to prepare for the post-school world.
“The evidence is very clear that the ‘say no’ approach doesn’t work during adolescence, when independence is expected,” she said. “In studies on smoking, it has led to an increase in smoking.”
But Underwood claims he has seen firsthand the impact social media can have on his focus and attention, and recently he’s been adapting his approach in the classroom to incorporate techniques and strategies that have helped him counter the negative effects of smartphones he’s experienced.
And he has a strong response to Galinsky’s argument.
“We don’t tolerate smoking in schools,” he points out. “Maybe some of the ‘Just Say No’ campaigns were ineffective overall, but no one tolerates smoking in schools.”
His hope is that school time can be reserved as a break from the harmful effects of smartphone and social media use.
“Six hours of school is a time when we can show students some homeostasis and show them what it’s like without constant distractions,” he argues.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear the full conversation, plus an example of how he reframed his lessons. Apple Podcasts, cloudy, Spotifyor wherever you listen to podcasts, or use the player on this page.
