Students at Revelstoke Secondary School have been getting outside and talking to each other more after a one-week experiment had them agree to not use their cellphones during school hours.
The idea to forgo phones came from another student at Eagle River Secondary School in Sicamous, who launched the Digital Detox Challenge in February.
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Teacher Ainslee Atamank said Sicamous challenged Revelstoke to follow suit. So, for a week in March, Revelstoke students obliged.
Before the challenge, when Atamank would come to her morning class, she said students would be quiet and glued to their phones. However, during detox week the students instead talked to each other.
“It was amazing,” said Atamank.
Grade 8 student Charlotte Veideman said she previously would spend more than 13 hours a day on her phone.
“At first I was anxious about not having my phone. But then I forgot about it,” Veideman said.
Another student Denise Aulisa said she typically spends lunch on her phone, but after volunteering to take part in the digital challenge, she would go for walks instead.
“It feels nice getting fresh air and spending time with friends. We are making memories,” she said.
The Grade 8 class also got a presentation from the RCMP on the legality of cellphone, such as the dangers of sexting.
For example, if a sexual picture/video is taken, shared or posted online without the permission of the person in the picture/video, it’s against Canadian criminal law. For youth under 18 years old, taking and sharing sexual images can also be against the law, even if the youth agrees to have the images shared.
Veideman said she plans to spend less time on her phone moving forward.
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