The realization that smart phones are not so smart has become nearly as ubiquitous as the phones themselves. Since our founding in 2006, Trinitas has had a student screen-free learning community during the school day, and we have strongly encouraged families to adopt healthy habits for screen use at home too. This partnership between home and school is essential. As more and more scientific data and our own experience as educators shows, few things have a bigger effect, for better or worse, on overall student flourishing than screen habits.
Regarding phones specifically, we strongly recommend not giving your child a phone until high school. If you do get your high school student a phone, we strongly recommend a simple phone that does not provide full access to the internet. As a family, build the habit of being present—do not be on your phone when you should engage with other people. And especially, no phones at mealtimes. Always keep phones in public areas of the home (not bedrooms). And put them away at least 60 minutes before bed.
We are not influencers being paid to sell you products, but we do think the following two options are smarter phones for high school students (and even adults): The Light Phone and the Wisephone by Techless. We also encourage you to listen to this episode of BaseCamp Live with Chris Kaspar. Founder and CEO of Techless. Kaspar’s company designed the Wisephone as a way to meet basic communication needs without exposure to the dark side of the digital world and without the addictive features built into mainstream devices. The interview provides both philosophical and practical insights for navigating the digital world and living a flourishing life.