Dr. Ring Appears on WREG to Discuss Importance of Hutchison’s New Cell Phone Policy
Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring was interviewed by “Live at 9” host Kontji Anthony about how Hutchison’s new cell phone policy will help our girls.
To support our girls’ mental health, classroom engagement, and interpersonal skills, Hutchison is implementing a new schoolwide policy prohibiting all students from using smartphones, smartwatches, and social media during the academic school day. Dr. Ring appeared on Live at 9 on WREG to discuss the reasons why Hutchison is making this change.
“We realized we have to put students’ well-being first and foremost to ensure that they thrive academically and socially,” Dr. Ring said in the interview.
As part of the new policy, Hutchison girls are required to turn in their smartphones to their division office upon entry to school each morning. Research in the past three years has linked social media and technology use with the precipitous rise in youth mental health, substance abuse, and sleep disorders. In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General declared a youth mental health crisis, attributing a leading factor to social media usage, and recently called for warning labels to inform consumers of the various risks associated with the use of social media platforms.
In light of this growing body of research, our mission, and our commitment to the parallel development of mind, body, and spirit, we are taking this proactive measure. You can watch Dr. Ring's interview here for more about why Hutchison came to this decision.
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