EMPOWERING DIGITAL WELLNESS FOR KIDS | September 2024

Greetings Friend of the Lab,

As we head back into the school year, school cell phone bans have been top of mind in the press, and for parents and caregivers. 

In our April 2024 blog post, Are Cell Phone Bans in Schools the Answer?, we shared some of the steps we believe school administrators and policymakers should consider when designing and deploying smartphone policies in schools.

In our most recent post, What the Science Says: Smartphones in Schools, we dive into some of the current research around the impact of cell phone policies on students, including classroom learning, pro-social development, and student safety. We also re-emphasize the key factors administrators should consider as they create cell phone policies for their districts and schools.

The bottom line? While more in-depth and nuanced research is needed to guide the most effective practices for the impacts educators and families want to see, the era of the school phone ban is upon us. 

Read on for more news and information you can use from the Lab!

All our best,

Cori Stott
Executive Director
The Digital Wellness Lab

Resources for Parents & Caregivers

FAMILY GUIDE TO GOING BACK TO SCHOOL WITH TECHNOLOGY

We designed this guide to help you better support and manage your child’s relationship with technology and create a healthy learning environment and good tech habits along the way.

Read Guide →

CONVERSATIONS WITH CLINICIANS: FRANCES GRIMSTAD, MD, MS

Dr. Grimstad shares her thoughts
on the impact of digital saturation on the children and teens she sees
in her practice as an Attending Physician in the Division of Gynecology here at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Read Post →

We believe that by following the science, we can create an empathetic and respectful world in which our kids can grow up healthy, smart, and kind.

The Lab in the News

Expert Advice on Managing Your Teen's Social Media Use Boston Magazine

Are Tech-Based Toys Better for Babies Than Open-Ended Ones? Parents

The Worst Feature Apple Ever Made The Atlantic

The news cycle has been intense. Should you be hope-scrolling instead? Yahoo

Families navigating adolescence offline find that life as a teen without social media is not easy Milwaukee Independent

The Sobering Truth About Kids and Smartphones Boston Magazine

It’s time to face the facts The B-Side

Kids, Screens, and Schools: How worried should we be? ParentData with Emily Oster

How young is too young to be left home alone WCVB Boston

What’s Happening in September

As students head back to school, you’ll find us on the road teaching, and engaging with families, about instilling healthy media habits and maintaining a balanced life:

The Lab’s Nicole Powell, Kaitlin Tiches, Sam Schwamm, and Dr. Michael Rich facilitated a day-long series of workshops at the Waterford School in Utah to help support students’ digital balance

Our Research Director, Dr. David Bickham presented on a live-streamed panel about play and screentime with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

At a webinar hosted by Operation Parent, Dr. Rich presented key findings from his book, The Mediciatrician’s Guide, on the role of influencers, body image and substance in understanding social media’s impact.

At the end of the month, Dr. Rich and the Lab’s Executive Director, Cori Stott, will be joining digital wellbeing convenings and discussions held adjacent to the UN General Assembly meetings in New York City.

If you have friends, family, and colleagues who could benefit from this newsletter, please pass it on and encourage them to sign up to receive it themselves. Thank you!