You are invited to share your thoughts and ideas regarding cell phone-free education in Virginia K-12 public schools on Thursday, August 1.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued Executive Order 33 to establish cell phone-free education to promote the health and safety of Virginia’s K-12 students. Executive Order 33 is focused on eliminating cell phone use during instructional time and addressing the mental health issues arising from children’s social media and cell phone addiction. Executive Order 33 directs the Virginia Department of Education to provide guidance to school boards on cell phone-free education policies and procedures. School boards will establish local cell phone-free education policies and procedures before the end of this school year that will be implemented in 2025.
In Washington County, the plan to address cell phone use has already been a talking point for school board members and administrators. This comes after members of the school community read “The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt.
Key points from the book show excessive smartphone usage in adolescents contributes to the following:
Alarming Rise in Mental Health Issues: Depression rates among adolescents have surged by over 50% since smartphones became widespread, with self-harm incidents among teenage girls tripling in the past decade.
Severe Sleep Disruption: Over 70% of teens are sleep-deprived, largely due to late-night smartphone use, with those using phones for more than 3 hours daily twice as likely to suffer from sleep disturbances.
Dramatic Decline in Social Interaction: Face-to-face social time among adolescents has plummeted by 40% since 2010, and 60% of teens report feeling more isolated due to social media.
Negative Impact on Academic Performance: Excessive smartphone use during school hours is leading to a 20% increase in lower grades. The constant distractions from notifications and social media are destroying students’ ability to focus and learn. Attention spans have shrunk by 12 seconds since the early 2000s, severely impacting cognitive development and long-term educational success.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will be participating in a series of Commonwealth Conversations across Virginia to provide opportunities for discussion on how schools and communities can build new norms around phone usage. The WCPS community is invited to attend the following:
Abingdon – Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
Thursday, August 1
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The CURRENT policy regarding the use of communication devices by students on school property in WCPS can be viewed here: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/wcps/Board.nsf/files/A97RRT622C8A/$file/File%20JFC-R-20%2C%20Use%20of%20Communication%20Devices%20by%20Students%20on%20School%20Property.4-18-16%20Approved.pdf