- [Presenter] "Your Fantastic Mind", brought to you in part by Sarah and Jim Kennedy.

(no audio) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (traffic drowning) (bus humming) - [Staff 1] Good morning.

Good morning.

(students laughing) - It's like this every morning.

This is our new normal.

- [Jaye] Every morning starts the same way.

- They get it in there and it's been part of like the process.

(phone ringing) - [Jaye] Not with a ringtone, - [Student] Put it in the pouch, lock it up.

- [Jaye] but with a click.

(button clicks) - I kind of had a blast being on my phone during like sixth grade.

I didn't feel like it was much of a problem.

And then, it was so much like the vibe was different.

- You are so down with that.

(student faintly speaks) - 108 words?

- Like everyone was talking to each other.

(students chattering) - [Linda] The cafeteria is loud and boisterous because they're talking now.

- In and out, in and out.

- Stinky.

(upbeat music) - Welcome to "Your Fantastic Mind".

I'm Jaye Watson.

Here in Marietta, this isn't just a classroom policy, it's a districtwide decision to remove one of the most constant parts of students' lives, their phones, for the entire school day.

And it's raising a bigger question.

What changes when that constant connection is gone?

(dramatic music) (students chattering) - Good morning.

(faintly speaks) Good morning.

All the emotions, all the hormones.

You're gonna write your answer on the whiteboard.

I love middle school.

That's why I'm here.

That's where my heart is.

There he is.

Relationship building is really important to me.

There is not a single day that goes by that I don't belly laugh at some point.

All right, good morning.

- [Jaye] At Marietta Middle School, Teacher Of The Year Linda Skaggs loves the chaos of middle school.

- What is the problem here?

- [Jaye] But in recent years, even great teachers found themselves doing a job they never trained for, policing phones.

- It's somewhere in here.

- It impacted every aspect of my teaching.

From the students constantly on it, checking it.

Some would even be so bold as to try to FaceTime somebody in the middle of class.

They always had their earbuds in.

So, that was a constant battle.

So, even if they weren't on their phone actively, they weren't actively listening to me.

- This society is not perfect.

We also saw a lot of like social emotional issues.

It was causing some drama with the kids.

Fights would instigate, gossip being spread, that kind of thing that would really affect their ability to concentrate during the school day.

- There are posters and murals.

We have the tiger here.

So, I'm thinking they're not in their head.

You know, they're looking at me and then I get closer and I'm like, oh, you had a AirPod in.

You're listening to music.

(Kayla speaks in Spanish) - Can someone give me two examples?

Like, it was a constant like, please put your phone away.

We had to get really creative with the ways we're kind of telling the kids to put up their phones.

(bright music) - [Jaye] The data backs up with these teachers were experiencing.

Nearly every American teenager now owns a smartphone.

97% of 13 to 17-year-olds.

Over 50% of teens receive 237 notifications a day.

(phone pings) And research shows it can take 23 minutes to fully refocus after a single distraction.

Now, imagine that happening over and over again throughout a school day.

(phone pings) - [Julie] Data has also shown that kids typically spend an hour and a half to two hours a day on their cell phone during the school.

- [Jaye] But this isn't only a school issue, it's parenting in the digital age, and there's no playbook.

We met four Marietta parents who are all trying to solve the same problem in different ways.

Cynthia Dubose's eighth grade daughter has a phone.

- At any given time, mom can check the cell phone or dad can check the cell phone.

My oldest daughter is pretty disciplined, but I still do.

Because I can see her getting distracted.

So, like, what Ana was saying, like I see that when she's just even sitting on the couch scrolling.

- [Jaye] Matt Courtoy's 11 and 13-year-old children do not have phones.

- Neither of mine have phones.

So, we have a, like a backup phone that they can use from time to time.

They're permitted screen time between 4:00 to 6:00.

I mean, we try to keep to that as best we can.

And it's a near constant conversation, particularly for my 13-year-old who all of his friends have phones.

I would personally love to get rid of my cell phone altogether.

- [Jaye] Tim Westbrook's seventh and ninth graders have phones but are not allowed social media.

- I do feel like I'm a technology person and very much involved with the settings in the phone and the initial setup.

Funny story, he started an Instagram account and he was suggested to me as a friend.

- Oh.

(laughs) - Oh my god.

- So.

(parents laughing) - He found out.

- That's how I found out.

Yeah.

- [Jaye] Ana Risler's twin seventh grade daughters have flip phones they refuse to use.

- "That's so 2000s," is that what they say.

"Mom, that's so 2000.

How are we gonna use this?"

They are hypnotized, like I said.

Looking at the computer (parents chuckles) and I can be talking.

Come on, set the table.

"Yeah, mom.

Yeah."

But they're not.

So, I can imagine if they had that at school when the teacher is trying to teach them algebra or something.

- [Jaye] That's what home feels like.

(school bell ringing) For some families, a school day boundary feels like relief.

For others, it raises the question, who gets to draw the line?

- I'm here with Lauren and we love math, don't we, Lauren?

- Yeah.

(Grant laughing) - [Jaye] For Grant Rivera, this is personal and professional.

- So, they told you X equals five.

- [Jaye] He's a dad and a superintendent.

- Parenting has a whole new bucket and that is the technology smartphone bucket.

- [Jenn and Grant's Daughter] Switch, switch, switch.

- [Jaye] Jenn and Grant Rivera have two daughters, 10-year-old Reese and 12-year-old Lauren.

- It shows up with them being on their computers, which they need to have for schoolwork.

But now, especially with our oldest, she's smart enough to toggle between what is the screen for school and what is the screen for fun.

- [Jenn and Grant's Daughter] Falana, falana.

- [Jaye] They've talked to other parents about getting landline phones for their kids and have made group promises to delay buying smartphones.

- Let's make that pact.

We're not getting them phones until eighth grade because if their friends are on it, that's where they wanna be.

- I've heard it said that when a child gets a screen, it becomes the center of their universe and we battle that most days.

- Mm-hmm.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] This uncontrolled universe has a very dark side.

(dramatic music) - And the other thing that scares me for girls is that the suicide rate has spiked so high and that is just devastating, and you know, makes me emotional just thinking about that a smartphone could make a child think about harming themselves or just that comparison.

And I'm just like, no, (scoffs) we're not gonna just give them a phone and say good luck.

- What does the data tell us?

- [Jaye] Rivera explored a phone ban back in 2019.

- And at the time, the staff said, "Cell phones are not an issue in classrooms."

And parents said cell phones are not an issue.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] After the pandemic, the classroom changed.

- I had teachers coming to me talking about kids cheating on tests and kids being distracted.

I will never forget the mother who came to a board meeting to speak during public comment.

And she said, "Hey, while my child in middle school was sitting on a toilet using the restroom, somebody reached over the stall and took a picture of him and then posted it on social media."

And I thought to myself like, this is no longer something we should sit passively back and watch, like we have a responsibility 'cause this is spiraling out of control.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] After months of community meetings, the district acted.

(upbeat music) On August 1st, 2024, Marietta Schools launched Be Focused, Be Present, Be Somebody.

Every middle school student would place their phone into a magnetic Yondr pouch at the start of the day and keep it locked until dismissal.

- [Grant] So, a Yondr pouch is a pouch that has a locking mechanism on it.

It can be locked and unlocked using a special magnet.

(button clicks) - [Staff 2] Perfect.

(button clicks) (students chattering) - Staff have access to those magnets.

But the idea is that a kid walks in the building, they put their cell, they turn it off, put their cell phone in a pouch.

(button clicks) They retain possession of that pouch all day long.

(button clicks) So, if you're gonna combine these- - [Jaye] Then, Rivera did something you don't often see.

He invited public health researchers and mental health experts in to study the experiment.

- We simply said to them, we want to do this.

Can you help us do it right?

Can you help us make midcourse corrections?

Can you give us data that will help us make the best decisions for kids?

'Cause, listen, this was not about reading a book.

This was not about opinions on the soccer field.

This was about making sure that what we did had positive outcomes for kids.

- The green is representing the states that have enacted some legislation.

Well, I've been in public health for 35 plus years.

- [Jaye] Emory Rollins School of Public Health Researcher Julie Gazmararian has long studied health disparities and adolescent wellbeing.

Phones weren't originally her focus.

She was studying the influence of sleep on academic performance.

- And one of the biggest factors that we found is that kids were staying up and that they were on their cell phones during at night and keeping them up late, in addition to their homework.

But after homework, they were staying on and texting.

So, that led us to start thinking about rather than addressing sleep, that we really needed to look at cell phone use.

- And what's really cool about it, think about this.

- [Jaye] Erin Harlow-Parker is an advanced practice registered nurse at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and an expert in adolescent mental health.

- There's plenty of research now that tells us that as screen time goes up, specifically three hours or more, your mental wellbeing goes down.

So, we can't ignore that anymore.

- We're gonna pick a couple of these times.

- [Jaye] For many students, - I usually just keep it in the back pocket right here.

- [Jaye] August 1st was a shock to the system.

- I felt like at first, it was a little bit dumb.

- Frustration and confusion on why.

- But I think that the Yondr pouches were a bit much, in my opinion.

- A lot of people didn't really understand why they were put in the pouches.

- And I felt like it was a little bit unnecessary.

- They were just more frustrated that they couldn't have it during the day, being able to like scroll on TikTok or go like message their friends during class.

- I want you to close your binders.

- What are the pros and cons?

- We have a lot of control, a lot of problems.

- [Jaye] Teachers were seeing the frustration in students.

- "Why are we doing this?

Why are you taking my phone?

You should let me be able to look at my phone.

My mom needs to text me."

All that kind of drama.

But again, they're middle schoolers.

They complain about everything.

I could tell them to tuck their shirt in or tie their shoes and they'd be like, "Ugh."

- We broke out into different discussion groups.

- [Jaye] At the start of the ban, Gazmararian's team began tracking the shift, while Harlow-Parker's mental health team helps schools support students through the transition.

(students chattering) - [Jaye] Within weeks, the change was showing up in the hallways.

- Even while I was there, which was only two weeks in, what I was hearing from the teachers and what I noticed in the hallway also when we were passing between classes, is that kids were engaging more, that they were talking to each other more.

(students chattering) - Well, we did the qualitative, the focus groups, and then we're now analyzing data, looking at pre and post-ban, looking at academics and discipline.

- [Jaye] Even before the data was in, there were signs.

- In Marietta, we did focus groups with separate groups of teachers and parents and students.

And the teachers are ecstatic about the policy.

They said they feel like they're in a totally new school.

(students chattering) - [Jaye] The cafeteria, - Throw it away.

(laughs) - [Jaye] was noisy again.

(coach and players faintly speak) - [Jaye] And coaches told researchers they were seeing something else too.

- We interviewed some coaches and they said they were finding the athletes were showing up to practice much more focused and engaged even in practice 'cause they haven't been on their phones all day.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] After one year, the research team surveyed teachers and saw a dramatic shift.

Before the policy, 90% of teachers said phones were decreasing student engagement.

More than half said phones significantly contributed to disciplinary issues.

(dramatic music) After the phones were in Yondr pouches all day, 68% say they are better able to carry out their responsibilities.

68% report feeling less stressed.

0% report feeling more stressed.

And there are signs academics are improving too.

(students chattering) - It has a positive impact on academics.

Typically, the effect is shown.

It may not be shown immediately, but within a year and a half to two years that there is starting to see an impact and improvement of academic test scores and grade point averages.

And also that the impact is much stronger among disadvantaged or underserved kids, or lower performing students are more likely are having a greater impact when they reduce cell phone use or eliminate cell phone use.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] And this astounding change within the students themselves.

- The next year, their phones were pouched.

(dramatic music) There was a 22% increase after we limited student access to cell phones and smart watches.

A 22% increase in students self-reporting that their classroom environment helped them learn better.

Listen, I can't get my middle schooler to agree to anything.

And yet, we had kids 22% more so the classrooms are better.

So, I got teachers over here who feel like they can build better relationships that are more successful.

And I got kids, very high percentage of kids, saying, "I can learn better."

Like, those numbers don't lie.

(upbeat music) - So, mutualism is when they both benefit.

Do they both benefit?

No.

- Oh, actually, no.

- [Jaye] Maybe the most compelling information comes from those at the center of this research.

- My grades improved, less distractions, stuff like that.

- But I did notice that it didn't make me feel so worried about what messages I had on my phone or what notifications from like anybody on my phone.

So, it made me feel more focused in school.

- I was noticing higher grades as my schoolwork.

- I'm definitely doing better in school.

- I think my grades have improved from sixth grade than they are now.

- So, if we're talking about (speaks in Spanish) what do we think we're talking about today?

Oh my gosh.

I don't think I can go back.

I don't think I can go back.

It's just so great.

- So, anytime you say tapeworm, a heartworm, a tick.

For science, we look at data constantly.

We compare this year to last year.

And one thing we noticed is our data has improved since last year.

- And then, if you have time to draw, you can.

It was amazing.

It was like a huge burden had been lifted off of our shoulders.

As teachers, we wear so many hats throughout the day.

Like, not only are we giving them instructions and teaching them the lessons and encouraging them to be critical thinkers and independent thinkers, but we're also nurses giving out Band-Aids.

We're also psychologists helping them with their friend issues or relationship issues.

(students chattering) - I never have to stop a lesson because of earbuds or phones.

And you're seeing those in the test scores.

I'm the same teacher I was before.

I'm teaching the same standards and the same content.

Kids are kids, they're the same kids, but the test scores are 20%, 30% higher on the same test from previous years.

(gentle music) - [Jaye] In the fall of 2025, more than a year into Marietta's experiment, Emory Rollins School of Public Health surveyed more than 1,000 Georgia parents.

71% supported restricting cell phones during the school day in high school.

Supporters said it improves focus, social connection, and mental wellbeing.

Among parents who opposed restrictions, 75% said the biggest concern was emergencies, being able to reach their children.

(gentle music) Researchers found support is strongest when schools pair restrictions with clear emergency communication protocols.

(gentle music) - [Grant] And unequivocally, what the experts would say, the first responders would say was, "We don't want a child be distracted by a cell phone in the event of an emergency."

In the event of a school shooter, God forbid, we want children listening to the directions of caring adults, not distracted by their phone.

(gentle music) - [Jaye] In a survey of state superintendents, one barrier comes up again and again, parental resistance.

- But there's a reflective question which is, does your child need to be able to contact you or is it really about what you want as a parent?

(gentle music) And I think schools are sacred.

(gentle music) It is a window of time where we help children be the best version of themselves, where we support and nurture their independence.

- Marietta City School's cell phone ban policy could expand to include high school students.

- [Jaye] Even in Marietta, resistance didn't disappear.

It shifted.

- I believe the success we've had at the middle school.

- [Jaye] Rivera worked to extend the now successful middle school policy to high school, and parents pushed back.

- Our biggest fear is something happens and it either could have prevented it or it could have mitigated it.

- [Jaye] The compromise, put phones away except during lunch and class changes.

- I, as both a parent and an educator, I respect the fact that parents have said, "Well, we have to kind of teach them digital citizenship now or they're gonna go off and not have those skills."

Well, you can also do that in your home.

What I want is for kids to be present.

I want for kids to build relationships.

The elementary parents would stop me at the soccer field and be like, "Amen."

- [Jaye] At a conference at Rollins School of Public Health on cell phones and teens, - Despite these strengths, there are- - [Jaye] the recognition by Georgia lawmakers that adults are just as addicted to their phones.

- Raise your hand if you've ever known that you were going to be late for a meeting and left your cell phone at home and then turned around to go get your cell phone.

(attendees laughing) So, we all have some issues to work on.

- What would we, as leaders in this room, give for children to be a hundred percent present in schools?

What does that worth to us?

And I think that should be our north star.

- And that question, what it's worth for kids to be present, is now shaping policy.

What was the defining moment, if you will, that happen?

- So, I work for 60,000 of some of the best people in Georgia and- - [Jaye] State Representative Scott Hilton serves on Georgia's House Education Committee.

As he listened to parents and tracked what other states in Marietta schools were doing, - This policy that unites us and brings us together.

- [Jaye] he saw an opportunity.

- It's rare that the government is either ahead of the curve or on the curve.

Usually, we're kind of chasing our tail behind what we're seeing in the private sector.

In this case, I feel like we were right near the leading edge.

Like the pouches are the most effective because that's- - In January of 2025, Hilton drafted a bill that would require all Georgia schools K through eighth grade to go bell to bell, no cell.

- There was a lot of positive feedback.

- [Jaye] In a rare move, the bill had massive bipartisan support and moved quickly.

- As we were a little afraid we'd get pretty significant pushback from parents and guardians and it turned out it was quite the opposite.

I mean, we had hundreds of folks reach out to us.

"Congratulations.

Great idea.

Thank you for doing this."

- When Marietta started imagining how our classrooms could be different- - I'm so grateful for leaders like Superintendent Rivera.

He is really on the leading edge of this issue.

And all of us are changing lives when we do this, right?

Students become better at school, schools become safer.

And the story that I love is that lunch rooms become loud again.

(students chattering) - [Jaye] The bill takes effect in August of 2026.

(school bell ringing) - My favorite part is just being able to like pay attention more in class, 'cause I feel like it's improved a lot since sixth grade when I had my phone.

(dramatic music) - [Jaye] This isn't about taking something away, (button clicks) it's about giving something back.

Space to focus, room to connect, time to be present.

This is about more than a phone.

It's about what childhood feels like, - December 9th.

- [Jaye] when school feels like school again.

- [Grant] And that's simply because we let kids be kids.

We let kids have their childhood and their school back.

(dramatic music) (student screams) - When we first came here, this was a local decision.

One school district willing to try something different and measure what happened next.

But when leaders here tried to take the next step, expanding the policy to high school, they did hit resistance, parents pushed back, and the district compromised.

Well, that tension between what schools see and what families want is now playing out on a much bigger stage.

At the Georgia State Capitol, where lawmakers are revisiting the same question, this time with data in hand.

- Kids in fact do not learn when they're on their cell phone in class.

And so, this is why we are here today to consider expanding this into high school.

- [Jaye] As more districts implement restrictions and researchers, including the team at Emory Rollins School of Public Health, study the impact, the conversation is shifting beyond individual schools and individual districts.

- I do not see this as a cell phone restriction or bill, but we are talking about academic and academic integrity and social, you know, support for our kids.

- [Jaye] From anecdote to presenting evidence before a state legislative committee on education.

- And through all of this work, we have learned that high school cell phone restrictions improve teacher satisfaction, student focus, social connection, and mental wellbeing, as well as a number of academic outcomes.

Although parents' emergency concerns are understandable, they can be solved through a clear emergency communication protocol.

- I move to pass House Bill 1009- - [Jaye] The result, a new statewide law requiring high schools across Georgia to go bell to bell without cell phones, with time to plan and adapt before it takes effect in the 2027-'28 school year.

- So, all those in favor, say aye.

- Aye.

- Opposed?

Okay, you are onto full.

Congratulations.

- Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, committee.

- What begin here in Marietta helped to inform what happens across all of Georgia.

That will do it for us this week.

See you next time on "Your Fantastic Mind".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Presenter] "Your Fantastic Mind", brought to you in part by Sarah and Jim Kennedy.

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