RTE summary ofFighting Social Media's Grip, feature, Cardinal Newman Society,
The Cardinal Newman Society profiles two Catholic schools responding to the effects of smartphones and social media. At Faustina Academy in Irving, Texas, students may not carry or use smartphones during the school day or hold accounts on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, and parents agree in the enrollment contract to support those rules at home. Principal Christina Mehaffey describes students who are more present and focused, with deeper friendships and less anxiety, and teachers who report richer discussions.
At St. Rita Catholic School in Alexandria, Virginia, concern centered on what students were doing with technology outside school hours. Principal Malia Busekrus says her own graduate research showed how little parents often understand about what their children face on devices. The school began educating families through speakers, including Peter Ryan of the Center for Responsible Technology, parent book clubs, and a diocesan day to unplug. The school then launched an optional community in which families pledge that their children will not have smartphones or social media while enrolled. According to the article, 100 students and their families have joined.
Why it matters
The two schools took different routes: one set firm rules through the enrollment contract, the other built a voluntary community. Both started from the same insight, that what happens with technology at home and at school is connected, and that families and schools do better when they work on it together.
This is RTE's summary. For the complete story, read it where it was originally published.
Read full article on Cardinal Newman Society (opens in a new tab)Opens on Cardinal Newman Society.
RTE summaries describe published reporting and commentary. Views and claims belong to the people and publications cited.