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Teens are on phones for 70 minutes at school, 300 minutes a day overall
Teens average more than an hour per school day -- and five hours a day -- on their phones, most on social media, video and gaming apps.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 182 min read


Reclaiming childhood
Childhood is making a comeback.

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 14, 20252 min read


How to raise low-tech teens
To protect teens from digital addiction, parents must take charge.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 16, 20252 min read


Teachers can't compete with TikTok and YouTube, and they shouldn't try
Instead of trying to be entertainers, teachers should teach students to listen, respond to classmates' ideas and pay attention.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 14, 20252 min read


Students learn more, fight less after smartphone bans
Bell-to-bell smartphone bans led to slightly higher test scores and attendance, says a new study.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 23, 20252 min read


'Kids aren't phone zombies now'
"Kids aren't phone zombies now," says teacher whose school banned smartphones.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 14, 20252 min read


Enforcing the no-phones rule: Boredom for students, 'bliss' for teachers
Teenagers are deeply addicted to their phones. Schools must lock the phones away all day to enable them to learn.

Joanne Jacobs
May 26, 20253 min read


Devices are distractions: Take the tablets away
Internet-connected devices are distracting students -- not helping them learn.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 25, 20252 min read


Student behavior is 'massively' better with no-phones policy
Students behave better and learn more when smartphones are banned.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 13, 20251 min read


Ban phones: Teens spend a quarter of the school day on their phones, says study
Teens average 90 minutes each school day on their phones.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 13, 20252 min read


Phone-free schools: Can it be done?
California is getting on the no-phones-in-class bandwagon , reports AP. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants school districts to restrict students’...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20241 min read


No phones, no Moms, just kids playing in the park
Parents should band together to "say 'no' to smart phones and social," writes Laura Yuen in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. She dreams of...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 23, 20242 min read


How a middle school kicked the phone habit
Smartphones are a major classroom distraction, say nearly three-fourths of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers in...

Joanne Jacobs
May 5, 20242 min read


Teens love their smartphones -- but some say it's 'peaceful' to be phone-free
Seventy-two percent of teenagers say they often or sometimes feel "peaceful" when they're without their smartphones, according to a Pew...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 13, 20242 min read


Present and paying attention: Smartphone detox is worth it
Smartphone detox is difficult, but worth it, writes Seth Lavin, principal of a Chicago middle school. After his school equipped...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 14, 20242 min read


Ban phones in school: The experiment with kids' minds has failed
Smart phones are making students less smart, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. Student achievement has been falling around the world...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 23, 20232 min read


'Smartphones are kryptonite for learning'
Schools are going phone free to remove distractions in class and encourage students to socialize in their free time, report Meg Oliver...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 20, 20231 min read
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