Student Cell Phone Usage

Social media is damaging the lives of children and young adults, and the evidence is mounting. Rates of depression and anxiety in the United States—fairly stable in the 2000s—rose by more than 50% in many studies from 2010 to 2019. The suicide rate rose 48% for adolescents ages 10 to 19. For girls ages 10 to 14, it rose 131%. (The Atlantic) 


Both parents and teachers need to actively engage in helping children manage screen time and social media interaction.  While in school, social media sites are blocked on all school devices. All student Chromebooks are registered with monitoring software and students' screens are routinely watched during class. Teachers have access to remotely close web browsers and lock students' screens, if need be.


Blessed Sacrament will support the children during the school day and offer suggestions for practices at home, but we need the support of the parents to make any inroads.


Please take the time to read the below resources. We can make a difference, but we can only do it if parents make the effort. 

  • Wait Until 8th

    Wait Until 8th empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade to protect the elementary and middle school years from the distractions and the dangers of a smartphone.

  • Screen Strong

    Screen Strong is an organization helping families prevent screen addiction (social media, video games, and pornography). Their solutions are not screen-free; rather they replace toxic screen use with healthy activities, life skill development, and family connections.  Screen Strong offers courses for parents as well. 

  • Jeremy Joseph Presentation

    A local parent dedicated to researching the effects of social media and cell phone usage on children, Jeremy Joseph, gave a presentation at BSS on February 21, 2024 that was engaging, informative, alarming, and hopeful. The information from that presentation is available HERE. 


  • Article - The Atlantic

    END THE PHONE-BASED CHILDHOOD NOW

  • Article - Hello Gloria

    The Woman With a Plan to Fight Screen Addiction

  • The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

    Jonathan Haidt’s best selling book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness is an excellent resource for learning more about the disturbing effects of our new screen-centered world.