In 2014, NPR covered newly published research focusing on the impact of technology on kids. The UCLA study found that sixth graders who went five days without exposure to technology—a smartphone, television, or other digital screen—did “substantially better at reading human emotions” than sixth graders from the same school who spent hours looking at electronic devices each day. A senior author of the study, Patricia Greenfield, told NPR that “this study should be, and we want it to be, a wake-up call to schools. They have to make sure their students are getting enough face-to-face social interaction. That might mean reducing screen time.”
More than a decade later, schools are finally responding to that wake-up call. This spring, an article published by U.S. News & World Report noted that “after pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning.” This summer, the nation’s second-largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, caused a stir by banning screen time for students in preschool through first grade and strictly limiting it for older students.
Ohio policymakers have also tried to rein in screen time. State law requires all public schools to have a policy that prohibits cell phone use by students during the instructional day. But cell phones aren’t the only devices kids use in school. In fact, results from a Fordham Institute survey of thousands of current and recent high schoolers across the country found that a whopping 62 percent said school-issued devices occupy a majority of their in-class time.
To be clear, not all screen time is created equal. There’s a difference between using a laptop to write an essay on Romeo and Juliet and mindlessly scrolling on social media. Devices aren’t inherently harmful. But adults need to ensure that kids have balance and that screens aren’t stunting childhood and adolescent development.
In Ohio, one way to create a better balance would be a new graduation component that requires all students to complete 250 hours[1] of real-world activities to earn a diploma. Students could complete their hours by working a part-time job, completing a work-based learning experience or registered apprenticeship, or volunteering in their local community. To ensure that all students are held to the same standards, the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) could create a universal form that students must submit to their school. These forms would log hours, require a signature from the adult who directly oversees the student, and identify third-party documentation (like pay stubs) that could be used in place of a signature. Students could mix and match their options—for instance, 200 hours working during the summer, and 50 hours volunteering during the school year—but students must earn a minimum of 25 hours for an option to count toward their total.
For a teenager, 250 hours might sound like a lot of time. But remember, students would have four years to complete the requirement. A sophomore who volunteers for three hours on Saturdays would need roughly two years’ worth of Saturdays. A junior working part-time could meet the threshold in less than a year by working two three-hour shifts a week. A rising senior who spends her summer working 30 hours a week could complete her hours before the fall begins. The requirement is intentionally broad enough for students to pursue their unique interests and goals in a variety of ways because the objective isn’t to micromanage how students experience the real world. It’s just to incentivize them to do so.
For this incentive to work, though, Ohio leaders must ensure that all students have access to opportunities. A 2024 Labor Department study found that students from families with higher incomes are more likely to be employed during the summer than their peers from families that earn less. Issues like transportation, competition for jobs, or limited opportunities due to geographic location could make meeting this requirement harder for some kids than others.
But that’s a solvable problem. Schools could help students find part-time jobs by hosting job fairs or partnering with local organizations. They could collaborate with nearby nonprofits, local libraries, and community-based organizations to coordinate regular volunteering opportunities. They could also do a better job of publicizing available CTE pathways that are linked to work-based learning or apprenticeships. Leaders in urban areas could follow their peers in Boston and prioritize youth employment. Leaders in rural areas could help students access transportation on the weekends or provide in-house opportunities (like tutoring elementary students) at the end of the school day. State leaders, meanwhile, should continue investing in initiatives like the High School Tech Internship Program and explore how to establish additional opportunities.
If enacted, this new requirement would incentivize teenagers to step away from their screens and get some real-world experience. But that isn’t the only benefit. A requirement like this could also do the following:
Boost student outcomes. Experimental evidence from the Boston Summer Youth Employment Program found broad benefits for students who were selected to participate via the program’s lottery. Those benefits included an increased likelihood of graduating on time, improvements in school attendance and grade point average, and boosts to work habits, soft skills, and aspirations to attend college.
Give students an opportunity to build and sharpen their skills. Time management. Punctuality. Effective communication. Teamwork. Critical thinking and problem-solving. Dressing appropriately. Speaking professionally. Policymakers and advocates use a variety of umbrella terms to describe these capabilities (think soft skills or durable skills) but their importance is universal. These are the competencies students need to succeed in the workplace—and according to the Aspen Institute, 85 percent of employers say durable skills are developed through life and work experience, not instruction.
Connect students to a wider range of people and experiences. When students work or volunteer in their communities, they’re required to interact with community members of different ages, nationalities, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs. These kinds of experiences can help teenagers understand that the world is a diverse place and can help them develop the skills they need to navigate it.
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Whether it’s at school or at home, devices have become irrevocably embedded in students’ lives. To balance out all that screen time, adults must ensure that teenagers have plenty of opportunities to put their devices down and develop the skills they'll need as adults. Establishing a graduation requirement for real-world experience would help accomplish that.
[1] Ohio already uses the 250-hour threshold as a means of demonstrating “competency” under its current graduation requirements.
