ENCORE: A Psychiatrist's Perspective on School Screens with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#146)

Originally Aired: April 12, 2023

Your child’s school may be the biggest source of screen time in your home, and it’s the one you feel least able to control.

In this episode of the ScreenStrong Families Podcast, Melanie Hempe and Dr. Stacey take on one of the most common topics in the ScreenStrong parent forum: school-issued laptops, online homework, and the screens in classrooms. They walk through real posts from parents and give practical ways to take charge of your child’s learning habits.

Melanie shares what she saw when her oldest was in high school, and why unlimited laptop use at school is a bad idea. Dr. Stacey names three main problems with screens in school:

• Lack of learning. Kids with a device in front of them are often gaming or messaging instead of learning, then come home to hours of homework.
• Kids don’t study anymore. Constant distraction means they never practice studying or memorizing.
• Cheating. From ChatGPT to photographed tests to answers looked up on a phone or watch, even good kids cheat when personal screens are in the room.

They also respond to parent questions about homework that lives entirely online, a teacher who plays content in class that you disagree with, a 14-year-old who felt like an outsider in driver’s ed without a smartphone, and a school trip where a busload of kids stared at their phones.

Then come the solutions. For homework, they cover:

• a set homework spot and sitting with your child
• paper textbooks and printouts
• asking teachers for paper assignments
• locking down a school device or getting your own, with parental controls
• starting a ScreenStrong group at your school

They also cover what to do outside school hours, such as playdates, Friday fun nights, sports and jobs. And they cover what to say to your school’s administrators, including ScreenStrong’s core values for using technology in the classroom.

If you’ve ever felt defeated by your child’s school, this episode will help you act.

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ScreenStrong Tech Recommendations

• Canopy—Device Filter (use code STRONG for discount)

Production Team:

• Host: Melanie Hempe
• Producer & Audio Editor: Olivia Kernekin