For well over a decade, you have heard me voice serious concerns about mobile devices in the hands of our youth.  It has been clear that the risks have far outweighed the benefits from the beginning, and that our youth simply don’t have the cognitive resources and life experiences to effectively manage these devices in their daily lives.  Along with social media, research has indicated a torrent of issues that are only growing in what is frankly one of the worst social experiments of all time.

Yet despite all of these concerns, ever since smartphones migrated into the hands of younger and younger youth, there has been both challenges and resistance to acknowledging what many now are coming to see as common sense.  As with any sweeping trend, it can often be hard to see outside what everyone seems to be doing and imagine a different course, even if most of history existed in this way.

But over the past couple of years, a fundamental shift in perspective and opinion can be seen coming at all levels.  Not only has the science behind concerns about mobile devices and social media become rather undeniable, but many people in society, such as teachers in the classroom, are simply tired of fighting a battle that they can’t win. 

Through all of this, there has been a sense that both parents and educators yearned for an alibi of sorts to make the decisions that in their hearts they knew was best.  And over the last year, with legislative changes occurring about social media safety and mobile usage, they are finally getting what they want.  Most recently, a number of states, including Indiana, have enacted laws banning cell phones and other electronic devices from classrooms.  Meanwhile, school districts, such as the one detailed below in Ohio, are taking the courageous step to say that enough is enough, and in the process, freeing youth to focus on their learning (and well-being) and freeing teachers to teach as they should.

TODAY SHOW VIDEO – OHIO SCHOOL DISTRICT BANS CELL PHONES AND SEES POSITIVE RESULTS

As shouldn’t be surprising, early signs are an evident improvement in academic scores and mental health, and a reduction in cyberbullying and other challenges.  Students who have initially resisted the change are acknowledging that not having cell phones in the classrooms are providing for opportunities to focus on their education and their health in ways that didn’t exist before.  Teachers are no longer battling constant tech intrusion that takes away from their ability to educate and form students.  Together, they are reclaiming the sacred space that is our schools. 

But we can’t just depend on lawmakers and school personnel to turn the tide for us.  If you are a parent reading this, your time is now to reprioritize your child’s health and well-being by making tech decisions first and foremost on not what is trendy, but what is truly best for them.  We know it can be hard, but as a father of eight kids whose youth have never had social media and have not (and will not) receive mobile devices until halfway through their senior year of high school, we know it is both possible and life-giving. 

Rise up parents, and let us be a force of truth and goodness that can’t be stopped.  Not only will our medical/mental health professionals and teachers thank us, but our youth will thank us, too, even if it is years before we hear it.