Digital wellness before they walk out the door

The instinct in many districts is to treat summer as a time to step back from device conversations. But the reality is that district and school leaders have a meaningful opportunity to equip students with three things before they walk out the school doors for summer break, including:

A framework for intentional use. Encourage staff to ask students to identify one way they want technology to add to their summer, whether by learning something new, staying connected with people they care about, or creating something, and to identify one way they want to ensure tech doesn’t subtract from their summer. Few students (or adults, for that matter) take the time to intentionally think about their tech use and how they want it to impact their lives.
The habit of a feed audit. Most students have never zoomed out to look at who they follow, what their algorithm shows them, or what their privacy settings actually allow. Encourage staff to have students take ten minutes before the last bell to review who they're following, update their privacy settings, and ask themselves: Does my feed reflect who I want to be?
A reminder that students have more control than they think. Social media algorithms are designed to capture and hold attention, but students don’t have to be passive viewers. District leaders can direct teachers and counselors to walk students through the built-in tools already on their devices that can help them strike a healthier balance:
- turning on Focus Mode or Do Not Disturb to silence notifications when they need to be productive
- muting group chats to minimize the constant pings or feelings of FOMO
- setting in-app time limits that signal when it’s time to step away.

These aren’t restrictions imposed from the outside. They’re tools students can choose to give themselves agency, and that distinction matters.

Instant Insights /

Digital wellness: How to stop the summer tech slide

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