How late is too late for students to be online? A South Jersey school district has an answer, and they have plans to stop screen time from cutting into bedtime.
The Deptford Township School District announced a plan to disable school-issued Chromebooks at night. Superintendent Kevin Kanauss sent a letter to families last week announcing the plan after the district’s tech team tracked an increase in student Chromebook use late into the evening. The letter noted that, in some cases, students were on their Chromebooks well past midnight.
“As part of our responsibility for student wellbeing, we want to ensure we are not enabling unhealthy behaviors by allowing access to school-owned devices during hours where children and teens should be resting and recovering,” Kanauss wrote.
The plan would disable Chromebooks from 8 p.m. – 6 a.m. for elementary students, 9 p.m. – 6 a.m. for middle school students, and 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. for high school students.
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Dr. Dan Taylor is an assistant professor in Drexel University’s College of Medicine and a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. He said the science is clear. Screen time, especially close to bedtime, affects a student’s ability to get a good night sleep.
“Our brains aren’t really set to see this blue light that emanates, and it affects the hormone called melatonin which helps us fall asleep,” said Dr. Taylor. “So being on a screen within two hours or an hour before bedtime affects your melatonin levels which prevents you from falling asleep like you should if you weren’t in front of a screen.”
The district said they hope to discourage screentime when students should be winding down and to promote the development of successful time management. They also hope the plan brings to light any issues of students being overworked.
Health
Parents shared feedback after receiving the superintendent’s letter, with some raising concerns about the cut-off time being too early for students with busy after school schedules.
The superintendent sent a follow-up letter to district families this week.
“The spirit of this initiative stems from our responsibility to create good digital citizens, which we take seriously. However, we do hear and understand parent and student concerns regarding students’ non-academic commitments and responsibilities,” he wrote.
The district administration met to evaluate the feedback, said Kanauss, and have preliminary steps in place to continue gathering information and make adjustments to the plan before it takes effect on March 1.
