The harm that comes from too much cell phone time, especially for young people, has become much clearer in recent years. So much so that the U.S. Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to the warnings on cigarettes and alcohol, because of what he calls a youth mental health crisis. Education leaders are grappling with how to keep kids focused during the school day while balancing logistics and safety concerns. Should cellphones be banned in school? If so, what should those bans look like? We discuss it on this Talk of Alaska.
HOST: Lori Townsend
GUESTS:
- Dr. Susan Beesley – Pediatric behavioral health expert at Mindful Growth Alaska
- Dr. Luke Almon – Principal, South High School
- Kelly Lessens – Anchorage School Board Member working on a district-wide phone policy
Related:
- Current Anchorage School Board policy on phones
- Tobacco-like warning label for social media sought by US surgeon general | AP News
- Get Phones Out of Schools Now | The Atlantic
- Open-source document with links to research on teen health and social media
- Center for Humane Technology Youth Toolkit
- Example phone contract download link
PARTICIPATE:
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LIVE Broadcast: Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. on APRN stations statewide.
Lori Townsend is the chief editor, senior vice president of journalism and senior host for Alaska Public Media. You can send her news tips and program ideas for Talk of Alaska and Alaska Insight at ltownsend@alaskapublic.org or call 907-550-8452. Read more about Lori here.
