b'Local Group Leads Charge to Delay Phones Until 8th GradeParents concerned about effect on friendships, mental healthBY ALLISON WEISSPhoto generated by ideogram.ai.M aplewoodpar- 2024.dia through middle school is crucial to this out- Bybeingandentertainmentopportunities, entandbusi- some research looks at how excessive n e s s w o m a nscreen time can pose significant dan-DanaSiomkosgers to childrens mental, emotional, facedatick- and physical well-being.ing time bomb deci- come, as studies show a huge dip in kids interestCyberbullying,socialcompetitionandsocial sionoverpurchasingand involvement in these activities once they getexclusion are the harmful effects of social media. a smartphone for her then 5th grader ina smartphone. online,peoplecanphysicallyisolate She felt the pressure, but she was also aware of theTeamUnscreenpromotesthenationalWaitthemselvesandgrapplewithlonelinessandde-challenges it could bring at that age. Until 8th pledge, in which parents and studentspression. It can create the impression that ones When I started opening up to fellow 5th gradeagree to wait until the end of 8th grade to get alife is much bleaker than the perceived online lives parents, I was surprised to find I wasnt alone insmartphone. Siomkos says the groups goal is tobeing followed. Online experiences stand to get my indecision, Siomkos says. My child kept tell- have half the 3rd to 5th grade families in the dis- murkier, as mis- and disinformation rise with the ing me, Everyone is getting an iPhone for middletrict sign the pledge by this spring. The intentionincrease in artificial intelligence.school. So I just assumed all the parents were feel- is to lower the peer pressure in middle school toIn May 2024 Team Unscreen brought in Social ing confident and certain about their decision tohave a smartphone. Awakening founder and CEO Max Stossel to talk do the same, but they werent.Itallcomesatanimportanttime.Lastyearto a Tuscan Siomkos is one of the founders of Team Un- JonathanHaidtsbestsellingbook,TheAnxiousElementary screen. The group largely started with parent vol- Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Iss t u d e n t unteers from Tuscan Elementary but now has rep- Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, captured theassembly resentation at all district elementary schools andattention of parents, educators and medical profes- andthen has plans to be more visible in 2025. sionals for its chief argument that overprotectiontoagroup Team Unscreen exists to support adolescentsin the real world and underprotection in the virtualofparents leading lives filled with strong friendships, creativ- worldare the major reasons why children bornintheeve-ity, physical activity and hobbies, Siomkos states.after 1995 became the anxious generation. ning.Stos- Dana Siomkos is one of the found-ers of Team Unscreen. Photo by Julia Deferring the use of smartphones and social me- Although screens offer a variety of educationalsel has runMaloof Verderosa.16/ matters magazine / winter 2025'