In late May of this year, Dr. Vivek Murthy released a report regarding adolescents and social media. The report warned that “While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

At The Beech Hill School, we have taken this warning to heart, and began conversations with the faculty during our post-sessional meetings in June. Throughout the summer, I have continued to spend time looking into the myriad connected issues of technology, social media, wellness, and the like. In addition, I have been reviewing the School’s philosophies, policies, and practices regarding these domains.

In the coming school year, there will be somethings that we will be doing differently regarding technology use, social media, and screen time at BHS. For example, at lunch, campus will be technology free, except for those students that opt to do schoolwork in a designated work room. There will be other practices and policies that we will continue to evaluate throughout the year and we will look for input from all.

In the end, we should not simply ignore this warning. Likewise, we know that our students will need to have a sense of how to appropriately use technology and social media as the head off to high school, which makes this all very challenging. While change is never easy, I look forward to taking on this issue in the year to come, as we continue to help our students thrive.