Head of School's Blog

Yesterday, we went the entire academic day without cellphones for the first time in my tenure at Dublin School. Cellphones existed when I first arrived on campus in the fall of 2008, but cell service was terrible, and the phones did little more than make calls. We began noticing changes in phone use and behavior soon after smartphones arrived and became ubiquitous between 2012 and 2014. More recently, the adults in the community began noticing more detrimental impacts on our community stemming from increased screen access. 

This year, we decided to collect phones during academic classes. This approach has worked well, but it places the burden of policing phones on the faculty, who would rather focus on student learning. We are exploring going cellphone-free next year and decided to try two days without phones this month to see what issues we might encounter. This morning, I sent out a survey asking the community what was hard, what was good, and what we should think about before our second cellphone-free day on April 30th. The responses have been fascinating.

What was hard? Here are some of the most mentioned challenges. “We need working clocks, I don’t know what time it is!” “It was hard to find my friends during my free block.” “I am used to using my phone to check email and my learning management system.” “Removing cellphones delays the process of students learning how to self-moderate their own use of their phones.” “I missed listening to music.” Other students and parents have told me they use their phones to overcome social challenges, connect with people, or regroup after intense periods of extroversion.

What was good? Here are some of the highlights most mentioned in the experience. “I was more focused and got more work done during my free block.” “Students were talking to each other more, and there was great energy in the Smith Dining Commons.” “Students seemed to hang out with each other more outside, and that continued into the early evening, even after they had their phones back.” And my favorite, “My girlfriend hung out with me more.”

As part of our exploration of reducing cellphone exposure, we had a great parent and guardian book group this year discussing Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation. Haidt discusses how the rise in cellphone use, coupled with a reduction in free play among teenagers, has contributed to a more anxious generation of young people. We also discussed some rebuttals to Haidt’s work, including those who think he spends too much time blaming screens for all our ills. Do phones create the problem or simply amplify existing systemic issues in our society? I look forward to continued conversations around our approaches and policies. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and civility of our students as they reflect on their community and themselves.