Some parents say that their schools provide Chromebook tablets free for the school year with internet access for research but not the ability to connect to students' friends making the need for a cell phone in the classroom moot.

Toronto based media consultant Amber Mac weighs in on the issue.

"A couple of months ago I wrote my newsletter intro essay on a topic I called “Poison in Your Pocket”. There's a video below if you want a quick recap, but in today’s issue I also want to share an important update on this issue.Earlier this week, the U.S. Surgeon General wrote an op-ed in the New York Times (might be behind a paywall, so more below) in which he calls for a warning label to be added to social media apps, similar to what we’ve seen over the years on cigarette packages (which, as he shares, “can increase awareness and change behavior” along with other initiatives).In the article, he issues the following warning: “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency - and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”The U.S. Surgeon General also urges social media companies to share their data on health effects and allow independent safety audits. In other words, we can't allow any more baseless claims from these same companies about social media being safe.As students head into the summer months and spend more time online, this issue is especially important. We’ve allowed many of these tech companies to run freely without guardrails in place, as if they somehow should be exempt from operating as other businesses operate.The recommendations in this op-ed are a good step in the right direction, and, as the U.S. Surgeon General explains: “These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability.”Our kids deserve better. -Amber Mac