by Loreto College Nurse, Alice Graljuk
In today’s society, technology and mobile phones have become an essential way to engage with our world. This is especially the case for our younger generation; the students we work with every day. When working with these young people we have a critical responsibility to teach this younger generation how to detach from our devices.
As the College Nurse at Loreto College, Marryatville, my Health Care Centre (HCC) has a ‘no phone policy’. This means that students do not have access to their personal devices while resting. This is to promote and support students to rest and recover when they are unwell by allowing them to turn off from their devices, disengage from the intensity of the online world and rest their brains.
This ‘no phone policy’ during school time was created by our previous principal after a student survey prompted the change. The survey found students reported that their peers were using their devices too much in break time and not interacting with peers, having detrimental social impacts. Our Director of Wellbeing Programs is also very passionate reducing phone use during school time, including when students go on camp. Students have an opportunity to hand in their phones prior to leaving for camp and they will be securely locked away. This creates a positive environment for students to engage with their peers in person and not through technology. It is also a great opportunity to connect with nature and promotes team building throughout the cohort.
I have incorporated this attitude and ‘no phone policy’ in my HCC and it has had a positive impact with students. In the HCC we encourage the students to do a ‘body scan’ to assess why they may be feeling the way they are and what might help to regulate their body. When students present to the HCC with headaches or similar ailments, I often find that contributing factors often include excessive screen time without breaks. Additional, common contributors also include dehydration, poor food intake, and poor sleep. Although we have no phones in the HCC, we do encourage the use of the HCC iPad to help with meditations when required for the students who identify this regulation strategy.
Overall, across the school and in my HCC, we have seen a positive response from our students and parents with this initiative. I would encourage other schools to trial a similar policy in their HCC to teach young people alternative ways to regulate their minds and bodies and be present in their surroundings.
Related research:
Related articles:
Social media restrictions and wellbeing: a principal’s perspective (Education Daily September 2024)
Phone and Socials Restriction Transform School’s Climate (Education Today September 2024)
