Meeting Public Comments

Courtney Collier

SSB 1065 aims to protect the instructional time during school from the distractions of smart phones including social media, games, non educational videos etc. I support that idea. However, we will be missing a major component of how students are distracted by accessing video games, social media and non educational videos during instructional time today on their 1:1 school issued iPads, MacBooks and Chromebooks. We must act to get our students back to learning the classic way with books, textbooks and paper. Computers, tablets and laptops should be for tech class only. There are many harms known and unknown to putting a child in front of a screen all day. Restricting only smartphones and allowing the school issued 1:1 devices to remain is missing a huge component of what is leading to loss of learning. We have the data to show how much time students are spending on these devices and how educational outcomes have declined since this 1:1 device practice was implemented in 2020. We would love to share that data with you. Also, I want to point out that students have been able to be whistleblowers with using their cell phone to capture images and footage of indoctrination and other improper things occurring at their schools. So I appreciate that this bill allows students to carry their cell phone on their person. Please add 1:1 school issued devices to this bill. Lets get our Iowa students back to the basics and classic traditions of learning with textbooks.

Andrea Boyd

Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on SSB 1065. I am a mother of 2 teen children and am an active advocate in the Screens in Schools space participating with other nonprofits and foundations working on an educational movement to enable our future generation the opportunity for a distraction free educational experience.I encourage deliberation to take this bill further by expanding scope to include bell to bell language as defined model bill as provided on the Becca Schmill Foundation for phone and social media free schools. It is nearly impossible for a student to resist the addictive algorithms when the phone and/or device is on their person. This places the burden of management back onto our teachers, who are there to provide an education to students.Studies have found that: 97% of students average 43 minutes of use during the school day Those 43 minutes are spent on social media, YouTube and gaming One third of teens report being exposed to pornography while at school 35% of teens admit to using their phones to cheat 65% of students selfreport to being distracted by digital devices in class 72% of US High School teachers say cell phone distraction is a major problem in the classroom according to Pew Research CenterAll of this research is further backed up by the 2017 Brain Drain Study which found: The mere present of a cell phone, even when it is silent and stored out of sight, reduces cognitive capacity Students performed best when the phone was in a separate room All of the above points were important when taking a test, but even MORE profound when learning new concepts, which is the majority state of mind our students should in during their school dayTeachers want personal electronic devices out of the classroom as well. In 2024, the National Education Association conducted a poll that identified: 83% of the members support prohibiting cell phones and personal device use during the entire school day, from the first bell to the last bell. Over 90% of educators feel students mental health is a serious issue at their school and a majority say there has been a significant increase in concerns related to student mental health in the past few yearsAnd here is why: 95% of teenagers are on social media. This includes 40% of 812 year olds On average, teens spend nearly 5 hours per day on social media apps According to the American Psychological Association, when teens spend more than 3 hours per day on social media, their risk of poor mental health DOUBLES. Meaning they are twice as likely to become depressed, anxious and beyond The US Surgeon General issued an Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health stating, Schools should ensure that classroom learning and social time are phonefree experiences.I appreciate the bills effort to address these screenbased concerns in our schools across the state. I would like the bill to clearly state the definition of nonmedically necessary personal electronic devices: All cell phones o Smart phones o Brick phones (noninternet connected interfaces) Smartwatches Hearing devices o Earbuds o AirPods o Fitness trackers o Bluetooth connected devicesIn addition, I would appreciate consideration of addressing broader concerns and/or options for those wanting less screenbased learning in schools outside of technology classes or where appropriate use of screenbased products is necessary. Parents should be given the opportunity to Opt in for those who want screens and for those wanting a more embodied, teacher/peer/paper/writing learning experience an option to Opt out of the screenbased devices. We should have a voice in who, how and what data is being shared with application vendors and 3rd party data brokers. Please reference the latest news on the PowerSchool data breach currently estimated at 64 million student data records and 9.4 million teacher records. Current reports suggest that this data includes, but is not limited to, critically sensitive data like medical information, disciplinary information, legal custody and more.In closing, I would like to express gratitude to the Representatives working on this important legislation. I am grateful for the opportunity to express ideas and concerns. Additionally, I am happy to provide any research and data to the committee that would assist on decision making of this critical issue for our students sake. I look forward to continuing collaboration to make our childrens school days engaging and productive; our future depends upon it.