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County pediatrician and school psychologist urge district action on student device use
Summary
Presenters from TechWell (formerly TechWiseSB) told the Santa Barbara County Board of Education that heavy device use is linked to rising youth anxiety, depression and physical-health concerns, and described a 4-session Screen Savers Academy and home guides to build healthier tech habits in 4th graders.
Kim Osborne, a school psychologist presenting for TechWell, told the county board the group formed after seeing students “who were terribly unwell and spending up to 10, 15 hours on their devices.” She said the grassroots coalition’s Screen Savers Academy uses four 30‑minute classroom sessions with superhero characters and family home guides in English and Spanish to teach screen-free spaces, time limits and offline activities.
Dr. Kristen Hughes, a county pediatrician who co-developed the curriculum, framed the problem as a public‑health crisis: “In 2021, the US surgeon general declared an adolescent mental health crisis,” she said, adding that research increasingly links time on devices to anxiety and depression. Hughes described the curriculum as positive and interactive rather than disciplinary and said it includes teacher coaching and a family workbook to support follow-through at home.
The presenters urged district‑ and county‑level policies to reduce unnecessary device use and to adopt digital‑citizenship curricula. Board members asked whether families could access materials when a school does not offer the program; Hughes said workbooks and a full training manual are available so the materials can be reproduced in other settings.
The board thanked the presenters and noted the connection between curriculum changes and forthcoming policy work on student mobile devices.
