The story below is from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Inside the bold moves schools and parents are making to unplug kids and encourage face-to-face connection.
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In homes across America, family dinner tables — once the heartbeat of conversation — are often silent. Children and teenagers, deeply absorbed in tablets and smartphones, have exchanged lively meal-time banter for the click of notification bubbles. But this isn’t just about etiquette — it’s a growing social concern.
Today’s youth are more “connected” than any generation in history, yet many struggle with the fundamentals of real-world conversation. Social media and non-stop screen time create a comfort zone where messages and posts replace the vulnerability of in-person dialogue — but at what cost?
Since 2020, the number of children ages 6–12 spending more than two hours daily on screens jumped from 9% to more than 69%, according to Common Sense Media. Among teens 13–18, the percentage rose from 25% to 93%.
A 2022 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 45% of teenagers reported feeling anxious about talking to people in person — a number that has risen steadily over the past decade. A quick scroll or text message feels easier, safer and less awkward than maintaining eye contact or asking someone a genuine question.
Constant screen time reduces opportunities to practice social skills in everyday situations. When mealtime is interrupted by scrolling, or when rides to school are filled with earbuds instead of conversation, kids lose the natural practice of listening, responding and empathizing.
Teachers report that students are less likely to raise their hands or participate in group discussions. Employers say young job seekers struggle in interviews, often avoiding eye contact or giving one-word answers. Parents notice children withdrawing at family gatherings, preferring the company of a device to the comfort of relatives.
Drs. Glenn and Loni Quarles of Roanoke County, parents of five children under 10, say they learned the hard way about early screen exposure.
Their three older children received devices around age 2. “They turn into angry zombies if they’re on their tablets too much,” Loni says. “They are very addictive and would sit, staring at the tablet for hours on end instead of doing something active. And although it helps to keep them entertained, their tablets (with supervision) allow them to get accustomed to using technology at a young age. Without active monitoring, they’d be glued to them from sunup to sundown.”
Now, their 4-year-old has yet to receive a device of his own.
In response to these growing concerns, Virginia has enacted sweeping legislation to reclaim the in-person learning environment versus students constantly focusing on likes, follows and viral videos. In July 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 33, directing the Virginia Department of Education to create guidelines for cell phone-free classrooms. In May, the Commonwealth codified the “bell-to-bell” phone-free policy into law mandating that students in all public K–12 schools keep cell phones off and away during school hours.
A 2023 Common Sense Media study, cited by Roanoke City Public Schools, found 97% of students ages 11–17 use their phones during the school day.
This year, Roanoke City schools banned phones during the school day. Roanoke County allows high schoolers to use them at lunch and between classes. Salem schools now provide cell phone lockers.
Teachers say the change is working.
Bill Pratt, a teacher at William Byrd Middle School, says, “This has been the best start of the school year in about seven years. Students are actually socializing without worrying about what somebody thinks of them on social media.”
At Breckinridge Middle, teacher Tarasha Bell agrees. “Without phones, we’ve seen fewer fights, less drama and kids are able to focus,” she says. “Teachers can actually teach. Kids are even starting to write more — like letters. It’s been nothing but positive.”
Educators encourage parents to support the school policies by limiting screen use at home. Families can reclaim small but powerful moments, like instituting “phone-free dinners,” no cell phone zone while in the car providing an opportunity for parents and kids to engage in conversation or encouraging children to make short phone calls instead of only texting their friends.
The challenge for families, educators and communities is to strike a balance between the undeniable benefits of technology and the irreplaceable value of authentic human interaction. The screens aren’t going away — but neither should the voices around the dinner table, in the car or in the classroom.
The story above is from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!