At Lewis and Clark Middle School in Bellevue students recently tracked their phone usage, with some spending eight hours a day on their device on weekends. Seventh grade teacher Gina Stukenholtz wanted her class to see the startling research and admit they were addicted to social media and technology.
"There's definitely an uptick in mental health with teenagers, whether its anxiety, depression even suicide," Stukenholtz said.
So the students took a digital detox, turning in their smartphones for flip phones. They also gave up gaming and all social media.
With time away from their phones students turned to different activities. One focused on art work, another went to the library and signed up for a babysitting course, another decided to permanently give up social media.
Stukenholtz said if one student makes a positive change, the whole experiment was worth it.
