Fairplay's Screen Time Action Network

WELCOME to the official LinkedIn page for Fairplay's Screen Time Action Network, an international coalition of practitioners, parents, educators, medical and public health professionals, and youth focused on reducing harmful and excessive screen time in childhood.? Follow this page for current events and research on screen time, resources for families and those who serve families, and opportunities to plug into projects with other passionate advocates.

After several years of trying unsuccessfully to break free from social media’s clutches, Screens in Schools Work Group member Gabriela Nguyen founded APPstinent, a movement that encourages Gen Z to quit social media altogether. https://lnkd.in/gGM_VmaS

??Hot?off?the?press! Get your Screens & Learning Action Kit here: https://lnkd.in/gH6Qe2Q9 While targeted, limited use of screens can provide valuable skills and unique learning benefits (especially for older students), spending a significant percentage of the school day on screens can leave students distracted, isolated, overstimulated — and disconnected from their teachers and classmates. That's why we're excited to announce the release of our one-of-a-kind *free* Screens & Learning Action Kit, a series of 13 one-pagers with facts and actions ideas topics including: phone-free schools, AI, 1-to-1 programs, the benefits of pencil & paper, foundations for learning, and more. Our Kit provides: - Research-based information on what helps kids learn best and the impact of screen technologies in the classroom - Proven strategies parents can use to advocate for transparency and policies that prioritize students’ learning and well-being - Recommendations teachers and schools can use to vet EdTech products and set appropriate limits in classrooms - Resources for promoting screen awareness at home and in the classroom Get your copy of the Screens & Learning Action Kit, created by our Screens in Schools Work Group, today!

Action Network Authors Richard Freed, Ph.D. is a child and adolescent psychologist, author, and leading expert on how our kids’ incre@asingly screen-focused lives affect their physical and mental health as well as academic success. In his latest book, Better Than Real Life, he reveals the untold story of how Silicon Valley joins forces with world-leading psychology experts to create the hidden science of persuasive design that is pulling kids away from the real world onto screens. The science is so powerful that it is able to persuade youth, at the genetic level, that sedentary engagement with social media, video games, and online video is better than running and playing, better than engaging with school, better than spending time with family.? https://lnkd.in/g2a3MqaH As an Action Network Advisor, Dr. Freed has drawn from the knowledge of network experts, as they have a leading role in helping the world understand the impact of kids’ screen-based lives. He finds inspiration from network members who have devoted their work to making children’s and teens’ lives better.

Members in Action Joni Siani, Action Network Advisor since our inception in 2018, is a powerhouse advocate, college professor, and documentary filmmaker with a steel-trap memory, dynamic media and presenting skills, and tireless desire to bring back a relational world for children and families. Her 2018 film Celling Your Soul still resonates with young people today suffering from the loneliness epidemic. Last summer, Joni partnered with another Online Harms Group member, Deb Schmill, to encourage holdouts to bring KOSPA to the Senate floor for a vote. Who better to message the critical need for this legislation than those most affected by?digital harms. With more than seven hours of recorded interviews with our passionate youth leaders, they put together this emotional plea to support the evidence:?Watch their moving depictions of teens yearning for tech accountability under dire realizations that their lives have been bought by social media companies. https://lnkd.in/gTKpqR5y

Members in Action Amy Warren, from Wichita, Kansas, is a Screens in Schools Work Group member, advocating for smarter and safer tech use since attending the inaugural Screen Time Action Network conference in 2018. She was a staunch supporter of Screen Free Week in the early years of her involvement. Her focus on screen use in school began after the chaos that came with her son playing Prodigy on a school-issued device during the pandemic. Fairplay's campaign against Prodigy was a timely and valuable resource for her as she began advocating for smarter tech use in her son's school. Amy joined the Screens in Schools Work Group, which helped her to continue this journey. The shared information, resources, and camaraderie of the group has been the missing puzzle piece for her advocacy, which involves building relationships with schools, district staff, and other parents. This fall, Amy and SiS member Kim Whitman were invited to serve on the Kansas State Board of Education Blue Ribbon Task Force discussing personal device use during school. Their participation during the meetings contributed directly to recommendations for stronger statewide bell-to-bell policies in K-12 schools. Building upon the advocacy of other Screens in Schools members, Amy and Kim are now working to influence legislation that will hopefully result in more Kansas schools moving toward similar bell-to-bell policies. She serves as the parent representative on the Strategic Planning Committee for Technology for her local school district and recently hosted the first Tech Talk at her sons' elementary school. ? ?

A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that increasing access to green spaces can help reduce children’s screen time; however, not all neighborhoods have equal access to green spaces. https://lnkd.in/gMRkw5Qh

Members in Action With a new year comes new changes! Julianna Arnold, M.A. Arnold, longtime member of the Action Network and survivor parent, has stepped up to co-chair the Online Harms Prevention Work Group. She has experienced firsthand the online harms caused by Big Tech prioritizing profit over kids’ wellbeing — her daughter Coco, pictured here, died at 17 of fentanyl poisoning after purchasing a counterfeit prescription pill on Instagram from a drug dealer who approached her unsolicited on the platform. Ever since, Julianna has been determined to make the internet safer for children and vulnerable populations and hold social media companies accountable, and her participation in the OHP Work Group has been invaluable. Julianna is a marketing and development professional with experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors, and her expertise was integral in the design and marketing of the work group’s Online Harms Prevention Action Kit.: https://lnkd.in/gsjMbCXm We are excited by the passion and expertise she brings to the Online Harms Prevention Work Group and look forward to what the new year will bring.

Join the movement to get phones out of school! Download the free Phone-Free Schools Ambassador Toolkit from the Phone-Free Schools Movement & Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands. The toolkit has everything you need to advocate for your schools to go phone-free!?https://lnkd.in/gc3Zn-MQ

As we approach the holidays and the kids are out of school, screen time is on every parent’s mind. Not sure how to encourage less screen time and more family time during winter break? Dawn Wible, founder of Talk More. Tech Less., has got you covered. She provides expert guidance this holiday season with her Holidays & Screens: Tools for healthier & safer gatherings tip sheet! https://lnkd.in/gNmNg_Zv For over a decade, Dawn has trained communities, organizations, schools, and families on safer tech use. Try out her suggestions this holiday season for more connection!