Reducing Screen Time with Neon AI: A Community Effort
Setting:
Fairview Middle School faces rising student anxiety and a decline in in-person social interaction, potentially linked to excessive mobile device use. Concerned parents, teachers, and students are exploring ways to promote a healthier digital environment. However, every family faces unique challenges.
Participants:
The Neon AI Team
- Project Management AI ‘Maestro’: The ever-efficient leader, guides the conversation, ensuring all voices are heard and the process stays on track.
- Technical Lead AI ‘Tech Guru‘: The tech whiz, provides clear explanations on device management tools, parental controls, and online safety best practices.
- Metaphor AI ‘Wordsmith’: The master of analogies, uses creative metaphors to explain complex concepts about healthy digital habits to different age groups.
School Representatives:
- Ms. Garcia: A passionate middle school teacher, concerned about the impact of social media on her students’ well-being.
- Mr. and Mrs. Patel: Parents of a sixth-grader, Rohan Patel, struggling with anxiety and excessive screen time.
Students:
- Sarah Jones: An eighth-grader feeling overwhelmed by social media pressure but hesitant to give up social media entirely. She is attending the meeting as a reporter for the student-run school newspaper.
Families:
- The Williams Family: Single mom, Ms. Williams, works long hours and struggles to enforce screen time limits with her two middle schoolers, Alex and Maya, often relying on devices as babysitters.
- The Ramirez Family: Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez prioritize academics and struggle to understand the social value of online interaction for their teenage daughter, Isabella, leading to constant conflicts about phone use.
CCAI in Action:
1. Introduction:
Neon AI Maestro welcomes everyone and introduces the Neon.AI team. Maestro explains the goal: to co-create an overall school plan for reducing screen time and promoting responsible social media use, then to coach each recipient in individualized steps to implement that plan.
2. Understanding Concerns:
Maestro facilitates separate discussions within each group of participants. Neon AI Tech Guru assists parents with technical questions about device management. Wordsmith uses relatable metaphors for middle schoolers. They close with individualized assistance in planning and implementing change for each family.
3. Brainstorming Solutions:
Maestro guides a collaborative brainstorming session amongst the entire group. Ms. Garcia proposes creating a “phone bin” for focused learning time. Mr. Patel suggests “tech-free zones” at home. Sarah suggests designated times for checking social media. Wordsmith suggests “digital timeouts” as a cool-down strategy.
4. Action Plan Creation:
Maestro, drawing on CCAI’s analysis, helps the groups co-create a school-wide action plan including:
- Phone-free Monday challenges, inviting both staff and students to try and make it through the day without their phones.
- Implementing a school-wide “phone bin” policy – devices that distract go in the bin until the end of that class period.
- Establishing tech-free zones at home during dinner and homework time.
- Promoting after-school activities.
- The student-run school newspaper team will publish an article about this meeting, requesting student comment. Comments will be published in future issue, increasing student engagement on this subject.
5. The Neon AI, CCAI Difference
Note from an educator: Those who have attended school problem-solving meetings will be familiar with the usual expectations for this type of meeting. Many things are discussed, a few school-wide policies are implemented, and a laundry list of ideas provided for overburdened parents and overworked staff to follow up on “later”. With Neon AI’s tools, see how this group turns “later” into “now”.
– Clary Gasper, M. Ed., Neon AI
6. Outcomes
Ms. Garcia and Neon AI Tech Guru:
Ms. Garcia expresses concern about students being distracted by notifications during class. Tech Guru suggests exploring school-wide device management tools, identifies three choices available to her school, and walks her through the steps involved in setting them up. Ms. Garcia thinks two of them are likely to be the most practical for her school, and sends an email asking the company to provide further details to her school’s IT lead and her administrator on how to get the school signed up for their service.
The Patels and Wordsmith:
The Patels are worried about Rohan’s anxiety and lack of sleep due to late-night social media use. Wordsmith uses the “digital detox vacation” metaphor to explain the benefits of reduced screen time and suggests establishing a consistent bedtime routine with Rohan. The Patels explain they know that a consistent bedtime routine would help, but struggle with actually implementing it. Tech Guru and Maestro suggest a variety of strategies, narrowing in on some creative suggestions that are tailored to their family. The Patels feel empowered, and leave with practical, positive strategies to implement at home.
Sarah and Maestro:
Sarah is hesitant to give up social media entirely but wants to feel less pressure. Maestro suggests setting designated times for social media use and exploring other ways to connect with friends, like joining the school’s drama club. Sarah loves the drama club idea, so Tech Guru helps her print out the schedule, fee details, and forms for her parents to sign from the school’s website. Maestro also provides Sarah a summary of the meeting, to help her with writing her article for the school newspaper.
The Williams Family and Tech Guru:
Ms. Williams expresses concern about screen time but feels overwhelmed with managing it alone for Alex and Maya. Tech Guru suggests specific parental control apps available that limit screen time and will work on their home devices. Ms. Williams chooses one and Tech Guru provides step-by-step directions as she loads it onto her phone. Then Tech Guru helps her search for after-school programs in her area suitable for their interests and compatible with their family schedule. Ms. Williams schedules a visit to one program for Maya, and texts information about two others to Alex. She goes home looking forward to talking over the after school programs, and feeling ready to enforce new screen time limits.
The Ramirez Family and Maestro:
Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez see Isabella’s phone use as a distraction from academics. Maestro facilitates a conversation where they come around to understanding the social benefits of limited online interaction for Isabella. They agree on designated phone-free times and explore educational online platforms together, like virtual museums, that can provide some of the online experience Isabella is wishing for while also supporting her learning.
Empower. Innovate. Transform. Neon AI in Education
