How Can We Get Our Teens to Put Down Their Phones?

Seeing the impact of smartphone and social media use amongst teens, and the simultaneous social pressure for these teens to spend time on their phones, two South Florida mothers, Rivkah Bloom and Esti Chazanow, created a parent-run initiative for their daughters’ rising 8th grade class, “The Club.”

The Club is an innovative program designed to make ‘unplugging’ from smartphones a fun and socially supported experience. The premise is simple: educate the teens about the impact of smartphone use, and then craft a social environment that makes it cool and rewarding to put down their phones. Girls are given the opportunity to join ‘The Club’ by signing up to go smartphone and social media free for a year. All those who choose to be part of ‘The Club’ are rewarded with trips and giveaways, culminating in an overnight stay at a waterpark resort at the end of the year. 

After the first presentation of ‘The Club’ to the 7th grade girls at LEC, 60% of the grade excitedly signed up. Many of these girls made the choice to give up their smartphones and social media. Others made the choice to continue to go smartphone/social media free for at least another year.

One of the keys to the program’s success is the fact that these mothers spoke directly to the students in order to educate and empower them to make informed and deliberate choices about their digital habits. Bloom and Chazanow crafted the program with a balanced perspective; both mothers engage with smartphones and technology on a daily basis (Rivkah Bloom is the founder of MikvahCalendar.com and co-founder of MikvahRSVP.com and Esti Chazanow is the cofounder of livwatches.com). As such, they validated the teens’ experience that phone use can be a helpful tool while simultaneously facilitating an open discussion around the downsides of frequent phone and social media use.

In that first presentation, the girls were each presented with a chocolate bar and a question, “Is chocolate healthy?” What ensued was a lively debate resulting in a collaborative decision that chocolate is delicious, rewarding, and connective, but only in moderation and when eaten at certain times. The girls then related this to smartphone use, creatively thinking about various ways that smartphones are positive forces and brainstorming around the ways that they have been (or could be) harmful. 

They discussed how in today’s day and age, many of us rely on smartphones as essential for navigation, education, work, and connection. While smartphones are undeniably beneficial tools, excessive or inappropriate use has also been proven to be quite problematic, leading to anxiety, sleep disturbances, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, shifting away from core values, and social isolation. This is true even for adults and how much more so, are these effects compounded during the time of brain and personality development that occurs during the teenage years. The students viewed graphs and data showing the enormous benefit of delaying smartphone use by even one year on children’s mental, social, and neurological health. 

Instead of imposing domineering limitations on teens, the program empowers them to make conscious choices with fun rewards. ‘The Club’ replaces social media with exciting substitutes, fostering a real-world sense of community and shared experiences.

Video: What incoming 8th Graders in Miami have to say about not having smartphones & social media and being part of The Club

Bloom and Chazanow worked with Mrs. Shevi Sossonko, an experienced educator and longtime principal at LEC, to ensure that The Club benefits, including trips and giveaways, could happen during school hours. Indeed, Mrs. Sossonko believes that The Club is an integral part of their educational experience, noting that “The Club has empowered our girls to break free from the distractions and negative influences in the world. It has helped them build genuine friendships, be authentic, and embrace their true selves. The Club adds a sense of purity and holiness to their lives.”

The immediate success of the program speaks for itself as positive feedback from the parents came pouring in:

-“Bracha came home on such a high! And she said that everybody really got the value of being in the club.. in every way!” – Sara Schwartz
-“Sadie had an absolute blast. Such a great program. Such a great day! I love this initiative.” – Rochel Eleff
-“Everything has been said already, we are all very lucky to be part of this amazing CLUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” – Sandrine Cohen
-“Thank you so much for this incredible club! My daughter had the best time.” – Naomi Tilles

Recap of the first Club Trip for incoming 8th graders in LEC Miami

Teenagers, when presented with real data followed by engaging and rewarding alternatives, are open to disconnecting. The South Florida initiative serves as a beacon of hope that a healthy relationship with technology is not only possible, but enticing!

Inspired to start a similar program for your daughter’s grade? We’d love to support you! Please reach out to Rivkah Bloom or Esti Chazanow at theClubLEC@gmail.com and you’ll be provided with all the materials and templates you need! Here’s to healthy minds, bodies, and spirits for our daughters. Hatzlacha!

Full Video of The Club: