From Phones to Freedom: Starting the School Year with Joyful Device Boundaries
Photo retrieved from Unsplash by Cybele & Bevan
The first weeks of school are buzzing with possibility. They carry a unique energy: fresh notebooks, renewed routines, and a chance to set the tone for the year ahead. Alongside lesson planning and community-building, many schools are also rethinking their phone and device policies. What was once considered a bold move is now becoming foundational, with psychologists like Jonathan Haidt and Lisa Damour pointing to the benefits of device-free learning environments.
At JOMO(campus), our mission is to help students, staff, and families reclaim joy through intentional technology use. Grounded in values like abundance, playfulness, freedom, and embodiment, JOMO is not about shaming screen time. It’s about shifting from passive scrolling to active, meaningful living—both online and in real life. Device policies are not just about removing distractions. They create the boundaries that make presence, connection, and joy possible.
Why Device Policies Need a Refresh
Ten years ago, banning phones covered most classroom distractions. Today, the landscape is more complicated. Smartwatches, earbuds, fitness trackers, and even “smart” jewelry now carry the same capabilities as phones. Without foresight, policies that focus only on cell phones leave plenty of workarounds. And students are creative, sometimes carrying “decoy” phones to hand over while a second device stays hidden. Clarity matters more than ever.
But clarity is not the whole story. From our coaching with schools, we’ve learned that the strongest device policies also frame the why—and invite the whole community into that purpose. The why is bigger than distraction-free classrooms. It’s about cultivating deeper focus, richer face-to-face relationships, and healthier technology habits for life.
From Rules to Agency
Traditional device rules often sound like abstinence messages: don’t, stop, ban. But we know from research—and from our own lives—that it’s not enough to take tech away. Supporting students in today’s world means going beyond abstinence to agency. We want young people to develop the skills and sense of empowerment to navigate their digital lives with intention.
That starts with shifting our mindset. Instead of assuming, we can ask students how tech impacts them. Instead of creating an “us versus them” divide, we can admit: I feel the pull to my screen too, and sometimes it’s hard to resist. When adults make their thinking visible, it normalizes the struggle and creates empathy. And instead of framing policies as restrictions, we can present them as opportunities to live in alignment with our values.
Action Step 1: Anticipate Blind Spots
Device policies are strongest when they name the realities of today’s tech landscape. Before finalizing your policy, ask: Where might students find a workaround? Some common blind spots include:
Earbuds and headphones: Students can keep listening to downloaded media even if their phones are away.
Smartwatches and wearables: Many now allow texting, calling, and app use.
Multiple devices: Some students carry “decoy” phones while another device stays hidden.
Naming these in your policy—whether by using encompassing language like “all smart devices with internet, messaging, or app capabilities” or listing them explicitly—helps schools stay a step ahead.
The Science of Attention
One reason device-free policies matter so much is that attention is a limited resource. According to Attention Restoration Theory, our capacity for focus depletes throughout the day in cognitively demanding environments like school. When attention is fatigued, students are more likely to feel irritable, stressed, and distracted. Technology, with its constant pings and pulls, accelerates this depletion.
The good news? Attention can be restored. Nature walks, looking out a window, playful breaks, and even a few minutes of quiet can refill the cup. Device-free classrooms create the conditions where these restorative practices can flourish, giving students space to reset and re-engage.
Action Step 2: Set the Whole Community Up for Success
A joyful device policy isn’t just written—it’s lived by the whole school. To build buy-in:
Clarify staff communication channels: Make sure teachers know where the policy lives, how to handle exceptions, and how administrators will back them up.
Explain the “why” to families: Share that the goal isn’t punishment but focus, connection, and freedom from constant online pressure.
Start with values: Ask students which of their personal values technology makes easier to live and which it makes harder. This reframes policies as supports for what matters most.
Make expectations visible: Place reminders in handbooks, newsletters, and assemblies so no one is left guessing.
When schools frame policies as shared commitments, they move from restriction to empowerment—and from policy to culture.
A Joyful Year Ahead
This school year, we invite you to see device policies not as restrictive rules but as doorways to something better: more laughter at recess, more meaningful conversations in hallways, more attention in classrooms, and more freedom from the constant pressure of online life. By pairing foresight with empathy, and boundaries with agency, schools can create cultures where presence and connection thrive.
Here’s to a year filled with presence, play, and purpose—less about competing with screens, and more about building joyful communities together.
Joyfully,
Christina Crook, CEO, JOMO(campus)
Want support creating a joyful, research-backed digital wellness culture at your school? Explore the JOMO(campus) program.
