Hoover High School in Des Moines is taking on a new initiative to improve mental health. The school will ban cellphones, headphones and AirPods during class, starting next school year. Gen Z is more digitally connected than ever before. Most teenagers own smartphones and spend more than eight hours a day on social media. “I definitely feel like a lot of my mental health issues have been amplified by cellphone use because it’s such a distraction,” says Hoover High School senior Kayden Walker. “When I’m on my phone, I’m just talking to friends and loved ones. I scroll through Instagram a lot.” School administrators worry that students’ feelings of isolation are affecting their health. This fall, Hoover High School is working to eliminate digital distractions and improve mental health. It’s part of the “Hoover Mental Health Movement.” “This is not an anti-cellphone movement. It’s not an anti-social media movement,” explains Vice Principal Rob Randazzo. Randazzo, a longtime educator, is spearheading the reforms after seeing his students’ anxiety and depression not caused by the pandemic, but exacerbated by it. “Research shows that the biggest spike in anxiety and depression in young people was in 2012,” Randazzo says. “That’s when most students had iPhones and Androids and the App Store was really up and running.” The Hoover Mental Health Movement will mandate a phone- and headphone-free environment for the 2024-2025 school year. The administration is also encouraging parents and guardians to wait until age 14 to give young people a cell phone. They’re also encouraging young people to wait until age 16 to use social media. School leaders know it will be difficult at first, but within months of implementation, they believe students will feel more connected to their families, communities and schools. “Not only will their grades go up, but the quality of their students’ work, their creativity and inventiveness will improve,” Randazzo says. “That’s what we’re looking forward to even more.” » Download the free his KCCI app to get the latest updates on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest news from KCCI
Des Moines’ Hoover High School is taking a new action to improve mental health: Starting next school year, the school will ban cellphones, headphones and AirPods during class.
Gen Z is more digitally connected than ever before: Most teenagers own a smartphone and spend more than eight hours a day on social media.
“I think a lot of my mental health issues have definitely been exacerbated by cell phone use because it’s such a distraction,” said Caden Walker, a senior at Hoover High School. “When I’m on my phone, I’m just talking to friends and loved ones. I scroll through Instagram a lot.”
School administrators are concerned that students’ feelings of isolation are affecting their well-being, so Hoover will eliminate digital distractions this fall to improve mental health, as part of the “Hoover Mental Health Initiative.”
“This is not an anti-cellphone movement. This is not an anti-social media movement,” explains Assistant Principal Rob Randazzo, a longtime educator who is spearheading the change after seeing anxiety and depression among his students not caused by the pandemic, but exacerbated by it.
“Research shows that the biggest increase in anxiety and depression among young people actually occurred in 2012,” Randazzo said, “when most students had iPhones or Androids and the App Store was really taking off.”
The Hoover Mental Health Initiative will mandate a cellphone and headphone-free environment for the 2024-2025 school year. School officials also encourage parents and guardians to wait until age 14 before giving young people a cellphone. They also encourage young people to avoid using social media until age 16. School leaders know it will be difficult at first, but believe that within months of implementation, students will feel more connected to their families, communities and schools.
“What we see is not just improved grades, but an improvement in the quality of students’ work, their creativity and inventiveness,” Randazzo said. “That’s what we’re hoping to see more of.”
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