School is out for the summer– so kids are likely spending even more time with their phones, tablets and video games. But one group of South Florida students tried a unique experiment — they unplugged.
Heather Walker shares their digital detox in tonight’s 7Spotlight.
Inside KLA Academy in Miami, a group of super smart fifth graders studied the history of communication, from the telegraph to the internet, and technology’s impact on their young brains.
Alana: “So, we were learning about, like, our prefrontal cortex and, like, our impulse control and, like, how our brain hasn’t developed yet, and it’ll develop at, like, 25.”
Amy Crehore, teacher: “They already were like, ‘I feel like I’m addicted to my phone or I feel like I am addicted to tablet,’ and then this was the language, and the brain science, behind why you are.”
But attempting to break that addiction is where this school project got personal.
Maggie: “There’s a lot of pressure nowadays. Like, if you don’t answer, like, a message, like, a text message in, like, five minutes, it’s like, ‘did you look at what I sent you?'”
Twelve-year-old Maggie and 11-year-old Alana helped convince the rest of their class to join them in a 21-day digital detox.
Their teacher, Amy Crehore, says her students came up with the ground rules, which included nights and weekends.
Amy Crehore: “So it was basically, like, their parents had to lock away their phones, their tablets, their video game consoles.”
The students recorded video diaries during school hours to describe the highs and lows.
Day 9 / Sophie: “I’m not missing my device at all.”
Day 9 / Eva: “This is actually harder than I thought.”
Day 9 / Elena: “The struggle is real guys. It’s there. I miss my iPad.”
Under each student’s name is their average daily screentime.
Alana: “The first week was like getting used to it. I would be like, ‘OK, I’ll just call you later, don’t worry’, and then I’d be like, ‘I can’t call you later.'”
The goal was to see how taking a three-week tech break would impact things like sleep, mood, focus and creativity.
Day 4 / Eloy: “I’ve had a lot more patience, actually than I used to, so that’s also improved a lot.”
Day 15 / Maggie: “I started a book, like, a book from my house.”
Day 17 / Elena: “One thing I’ve been noticing about my productivity is that, like, I’ve been making my bed. Which is very, like, not usual for me.”
Amy Crehore: “They definitely, like, reflected that they slept better. They felt more connected with their parents.”
Amy says she wasn’t surprised by the positive effect the experiment had on her students.
Amy Crehore: “What I was surprised about was the fact that they were able to, like, go through the 21 days and not give up.”
And while not everyone was swayed…
Day 19 / Matias: “I feel like this was just a waste of time, I could be catching up on the TikTok trends right now.”
…Alana and Maggie say their digital habits have changed.
Alana: “So now I do three days a month without any devices. So I do like a mini digital detox for three days.”
Maggie: “Honestly, I do not want to be the teenager that spends, like, their whole day like watching stuff.”
And for all the kids watching, Alana has a message — just not by text…
Alana: “If you’re, like, ever feeling, like, terrible about yourself, and you’re on the screen, I think you know why, and I think that you should stop. It’s honestly just like a game, like, either you let the phones win, or you win.”
And maybe we can all win, with a break from our screens.
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