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Parent and student urge Lawrence Township board to teach risks of excessive smartphone use
Summary
A resident and his daughter urged the board to add structured education about excessive smartphone and social-media use, citing research linking widespread smartphone access to rising adolescent anxiety and depression and a recent legal challenge involving major tech companies.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident Marcus Dyer and his daughter, Elena Dyer, urged the board to address what they described as excessive smartphone and social-media use among students and to provide more formal instruction on the potential harms.
Marcus Dyer said he has observed effects in his own family and cited research he described from social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and articles noting rising adolescent anxiety and depression concurrent with near-universal smartphone adoption. He also referenced recent litigation by a coalition of state attorneys general alleging that technology companies designed platforms to encourage addictive use. Dyer asked the board to consider district-level education that mirrors how schools teach about vaping and impaired driving.
Elena Dyer, a student, told the board that students receive repeated education about vaping and other risks but are not taught comparably about technology overuse. She recommended at least a structured unit in health class to educate students on the consequences of excessive screen time and social-media use.
Board members thanked the speakers; no formal action or policy change was announced during the meeting. The administration and curriculum committee earlier had discussed a policy review on use of privately owned technology and announced an upcoming 'Hidden in Plain Sight' workshop on substance-awareness topics.
