Go deeper
Tools to use, handouts to share, and the research behind them, gathered to help Bucks County families and schools navigate kids and technology.
Take action
Statewide tools from PA Unplugged to advocate, stay informed, and see how Pennsylvania schools are changing.
EdTech Action Guide
A step-by-step guide to advocating for healthier, evidence-based technology use in your school.
Bell-to-Bell Tracker
See which Pennsylvania schools have adopted bell-to-bell phone-free policies.
Legislative Tracker
Track Pennsylvania bills on student phone use, screen time, and ed tech.
Ed Tech Survey
Share your experience with technology in your child's school.
Educator Survey
Teachers and school staff: tell us how technology is being used in your classroom.
Ed Tech Survey Dashboard
Explore what Pennsylvania families are reporting about screens in the classroom.
The case for phone-free
PA Unplugged's one-pagers and the research behind bell-to-bell, phone-free schools.
The Phone Free Schools Movement
A national hub of guides, research, toolkits, and real-world examples for going phone-free.
What
What phone-free, bell-to-bell schools look like, plus answers to the objections you'll hear most.
Why
The case for bell-to-bell policies, grounded in research and the results PA schools are seeing.
How
The implementation options districts can choose under the law, and why no phone access during the day is best practice.
The research
Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone
A phone nearby, even silenced and face-down, measurably reduces working memory and focus. (Ward et al., 2017)
Smartphone Use During School Hours
National data on how much U.S. adolescents use their phones during the school day.
CHOP Smartphone Study
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia research on adolescent smartphone use and wellbeing.
Technology in the classroom
Frameworks, handouts, and research on how technology is used in schools. From a range of independent researchers and organizations.
The EdTech Triangle
A simple framework for sorting classroom technology from transformative to disruptive.
EdTech Research One-Pager
The key research on classroom technology, condensed onto a single shareable page.
Small Changes = Big Impact
Simple, high-impact steps families and schools can take right away.
The Digital Delusion
Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath on why ed tech isn't working the way we've been told.
7 Core Values for Classroom Technology
Foundational principles for responsible tech integration in schools.
EdTech Toolkit for Parents
Practical templates for communicating with schools about technology.
Evergreen EdTech Questions for Your School
A ready-to-use list of questions every parent should be asking.
ScreenStrong Courses & Guides
Evidence-based screen education for schools, students, and parents.
Technology Scope & Sequence
The real tech skills kids should be learning, mapped grade by grade.
The EdTech Report
A research synthesis on technology in K-12 education.
Screentime & Academics
Peer-reviewed research linking early screen time to lower academic achievement.
EdTech & Data Privacy
How commercial platforms collect and sell student data.
iPads in the Classroom
A critical look at 1:1 iPad programs and their educational outcomes.
Age of First Smartphone & Mental Wellbeing
Research linking a later first smartphone to better mental-health outcomes.
Read, watch & listen
Books, films, podcasts, articles, and organizations to go deeper on your own time.
Articles
- End the Phone-Based Childhood Now The Atlantic
- The Case for Phone-Free Schools After Babel
- My Son's Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon The Atlantic
Books
- The Anxious Generation Jonathan Haidt
- 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High Tech World Jean Twenge
- How to Break Up with Your Phone Catherine Price
- Stolen Focus Johann Hari
- Dopamine Nation Anna Lembke
- Free Range Kids Lenore Skenazy
Watch
- Jonathan Haidt's Parent/Teacher Talk 50 min
- The Social Dilemma Film
- Adolescence Netflix
- Chasing Childhood Documentary
- Lost Generation 15 min
- The Battle For Your Time TED Talk · 12 min
Organizations
- PA Unplugged Statewide coalition
- Distraction-Free Schools Phone-free school advocacy
- Smartphone Free Childhood National parent movement
- ScreenStrong Evidence-based screen education
- Screen Free Philly Local screen-free events