Coeli Weekly Current and Upcoming Events, Week of 10/19

Dear Families,

Earlier today, I sent an email about the cell phone permission form and why RCA encourages families to wait before giving children cell phones. I believe the research in that email is so important that I have copied it below.

Two summers ago, I read Jonathan Haidt’s widely acclaimed book, The Anxious Generation. It made me reflect on my own childhood: skinned knees, running through the neighborhood until I heard my mom calling me home for dinner, climbing trees, and performing plays on back patios (some things never change). I wonder how different I would be if I had grown up with a cell phone, or even cable (yes, I am that old).

Please consider two things:

1. Delay getting your child a smartphone or iPad.

2. Read Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation. We have copies at school that families can sign out.

I believe the book will help you make this decision and feel confident explaining it when the world asks you, “Why?”

Why We Encourage Waiting

Regina Coeli Academy is dedicated to safeguarding the innocence of childhood, and we strongly encourage families to delay smartphones and other connected devices until after 8th grade. A growing body of research supports this approach:

• A 2023 report from Sapien Labs, drawing on survey data from more than 27,000 young adults, found that the younger a person was when they received their first smartphone, the worse their mental well-being outcomes tended to be as adults, particularly among girls.

• In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on social media and youth mental health, warning that children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (Ward et al., 2017) found that the mere presence of a smartphone, even when turned off and face down, reduced people’s available cognitive capacity.

• Psychologists Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell (2018) found that children and adolescents with higher daily screen time showed lower psychological well-being, including less curiosity, lower self-control, and more difficulty making friends.

• The Anxious Generation (2024) brings much of this research together and recommends no smartphones before high school and no social media before age 16.

Screen-free time at home matters just as much as phone-free time at school. Simple habits like keeping devices out of bedrooms at night, enjoying phone-free family meals, and filling free time with reading, outdoor play, and conversation help children rest well, focus better, and grow in their relationships with family and friends.

Thank you for partnering with us in caring for the hearts and minds of our students.

Sincerely, Nicole GibboniPresident