Rodeph Sholom School has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing the growing concerns surrounding children’s digital media use, launching a community-wide initiative that brings together parents, faculty, and administration to navigate the complex landscape of technology in young people’s lives.
The school’s Digital Media Committee, comprised of parent volunteers working alongside school leadership, spent the 2024-25 academic year developing practical guidelines and educational resources aimed at helping families make informed decisions about technology use while supporting students in becoming thoughtful digital citizens. As part of this initiative, the committee brought in expert speakers to provide additional insights and perspectives on digital wellness and responsible technology use.
Community-Driven Approach to Digital Wellness
The initiative emerged from widespread parental concerns about the impact of smartphones and social media on children’s development. Rather than implementing top-down policies, Rodeph Sholom School community members chose to foster dialogue through grade-specific parent meetings where families could discuss shared values and establish common guidelines.
“When we make decisions together and hold each other accountable, we can help each other to protect our children from the potential harms of social media and early technology use,” Associate Head of School Keren Schuller noted in her year-end summary. This collaborative approach has resulted in grade-specific agreements on issues ranging from smartphone purchase timing to social media restrictions.
The community guidelines encourage parents to delay phone purchases until reaching consensus with other families in their child’s grade, and when devices become necessary, to consider alternatives like Gabb, Pinwheel, or Light Phone that provide communication capabilities without full internet access or social media functionality.
Educational Programming and Expert Insights
Throughout the school year, the committee organized several educational events featuring both external experts and school personnel. Dr. Jonathan Stern and Dr. Lisa Brown, the school’s psychologists, led discussions on Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” exploring research on how digital media affects young people’s mental health and development.
Additional programming included presentations by Jeremy Goldman, a parent and digital marketing expert who shared data on technology’s impact on children, and Mariel Benjamin of Cooper Parenting, who provided practical strategies for managing screen time and fostering healthy digital habits at home.
Dr. Yoni Schwab from Shefa School offered insights into how phones and media consumption affect children’s emotional development, contributing to the school’s understanding of technology’s broader implications for student wellbeing.
School-Based Digital Citizenship Education
Within the school environment, Rodeph Sholom has implemented clear technology policies while maintaining an educational focus. Students must turn off and store phones upon entering the building, with no device use permitted during school hours. Smart watches are also prohibited to minimize distractions.
The middle school curriculum incorporates formal digital citizenship education through the Win at Social program, teaching students to navigate online spaces responsibly. The school also conducted an experimental “Tech Free Week” in classrooms, with administrators evaluating the results to inform future technology integration decisions.
“At school, we aim to use technology in thoughtful ways that help students build skills and deepen their thinking,” school leadership explained, emphasizing the institution’s commitment to purposeful rather than passive technology use.
Grade-Specific Guidelines and Resources
The committee has developed detailed, age-appropriate guidelines for each grade level, recognizing that technology readiness varies significantly across different developmental stages. These documents provide families with specific recommendations while acknowledging that individual circumstances may require flexibility.
Supporting materials include a Family Tech Plan Template designed to facilitate home conversations about technology use, along with curated resources about alternative devices and healthy digital habits. All materials are accessible through the school’s parent portal, ensuring ongoing access to guidance and support.
Looking Forward
The Digital Media Committee has scheduled continued programming for the 2025-26 school year. Future initiatives will address emerging trends, including artificial intelligence, gaming, and evolving social media platforms. The committee also intends to bring additional expert voices to campus while providing more tools for families seeking to align their home practices with community values.
Tangible Community Impact
The effectiveness of this collaborative approach is becoming evident in measurable changes within the school community. Parents report a significant cultural shift from previous years when smartphone adoption was considered the norm for 5th Grade students. One parent and board member, reflecting on her experience with multiple children, observed the dramatic difference between her older daughter’s cohort and her younger daughter’s experience.
“When my oldest was in 5th Grade, the norm in our community was to give kids a phone,” the parent noted, describing how she initially felt pressure to conform despite her instincts. However, in her younger daughter’s class, the community standard has shifted entirely. “Thanks to the Digital Media Committee and the strong community effort, the norm has changed. In her grade, the expectation is now no phone—and it’s community-wide, not just a few families.”
This shift extends beyond elementary school, with parents noting that social media is no longer central to 7th Grade social life, representing a marked departure from previous cohorts. The change reflects what parents describe as treating “digital habits as a shared community standard, not just a private parenting choice.”
Values in Action
Parents emphasize that the initiative represents the school’s values in concrete action, aligning healthy technology habits with social-emotional learning and community well-being. The small-community advantage allows families to move together on these issues, preventing the isolation and pressure that individual families might otherwise face when making counter-cultural choices.
The measurable outcomes include later phone adoption rates and reduced social media presence among middle school students, changes that parents view as beneficial for child development and family dynamics. As one parent observed, this collective approach ensures that “parents don’t feel isolated or pressured” when making decisions that prioritize their children’s developmental needs over social expectations.
This collaborative approach reflects Rodeph Sholom School’s broader educational philosophy of preparing students to be thoughtful, responsible adults who can navigate complex challenges with wisdom and integrity. By addressing digital media use as a community concern requiring shared solutions, the school demonstrates its commitment to supporting the whole child within the context of family and community values.
The initiative serves as a model for other educational institutions grappling with similar challenges, showing how schools and families can work together to help young people develop healthy relationships with technology while preserving the developmental benefits of childhood and adolescence.
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