When phones are allowed into every corner of life, young people become constantly connected, constantly comparing themselves, and rarely fully present in any one place. Jonathan Haidt argues that childhood has been “rewired” by the combination of smartphones and social media. He describes this shift as a move from a play‑based childhood to a “phone‑based childhood”, with sharp rises in anxiety, depression and self‑harm from around 2010, especially for adolescents. In response, Haidt proposes new norms to “restore childhood”. 

This school year, Kristin adopted one of Haidt’s proposed norms: being completely smartphone and smartwatch-free on the school campus and during school activities. In practice, this means students cannot bring smartphones or smartwatches onto campus or to any school-based activities. Alternatively, they can bring a ‘basic’ or ‘dumb’ phone to school. These must stay in their bags during the school day or at activities, and are only available to them outside these times for safety and to communicate with parents out of school hours.

Being a smartphone‑free school is one way we are taking action to give our students a daily experience of what it feels like to be fully present in their learning and their friendships. We are intentionally protecting the one shared environment where every child, regardless of background, can practice real‑world skills like focusing, listening, playing, and disagreeing respectfully without an online audience.  

Our move toward becoming a smartphone- and smartwatch-free school is giving our children something they are currently starved of: uninterrupted attention, real friendships, and a calmer nervous system in which learning and character can actually grow. Removing smartphones and smartwatches from our school means we are giving our students several protected hours each weekday, when the pressures of social comparison and online conflict are eased. This allows our students' nervous systems to downshift, giving them daily practice in offline coping, play, and problem-solving. 

The benefits of this approach flow in every direction. In the first month of this school year, we are observing positive changes across our student body that align with studies summarised in research cited by Haidt. During breaks, we are observing our students engaged in socially positive activities that strengthen connections and relationships among students. Students are talking more to each other, and stronger friendships are forming.

We are grateful to our Kristin parent community for their partnership in this initiative, as Haidt is clear that schools cannot do this alone. We know from our parents that this approach has led to positive discussions around the dinner table and phone-free family time. By aligning home and school through this partnership, we can consistently give our young people a clear message that their attention, friendships and mental health are worth protecting. If you are a parent wanting to learn more, we recommend reading ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt.