Action Steps

Smiling kids running side by side in PE class.

Action steps:

1) Consider sending a note of thanks to your legislators for passing the Phone- and Social Media-Free legislation. You could thank them via email or in a public letter to the editor of your local paper.

2) Schedule a summer or fall screening of “Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media” for your school district, staff inservice day, or library event.

3) Sign the Vermont Declaration of Digital Independence. For those who are ready and curious, this is a way to connect with other parents/caregivers who are ready to give their child(ren) the gift of a smartphone- and social media-free childhood through high school. Follow this link to learn more.

4) The social media part of the bill takes effect immediately. The cell phone / personal device part is required for the 2026-2027 school year. Supportive principals MIGHT just be waiting to hear from a handful of concerned community members and parents to feel like they have the support needed to implement it sooner. Let us know if you want help connecting with others in your area to have that conversation with your principal. Seize this opportunity to move forward and adopt the policy for this coming school year!

Five principals across Vermont have used the timelines, data, and model policies in the Phone-Free School Administrator Tool Kit to help them enact a bell-to-bell policy. This is a school procedure that is in the principal’s domain and does not need school board approval, though having allies on the board and faculty helps.