Catalyzing the movement to prioritize children's safety, health, development, and overall wellbeing in the design and use of digital technology
Joined June 2025
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“Everyone in America can do their part to make a change, to get involved, to show up at an event or learn something more.” — Kristin Bride, parent survivor advocate featured in Your Attention Please and founder of the Carson J. Bride Effect.
Learn more and find ways to take action at The Social Reset: socialreset.org/
#TheSocialReset
Minnesota is having an important conversation about phone-free schools. @FOX9 highlights the growing push for a statewide K–12 bell-to-bell policy, with parents, educators, and lawmakers calling for seven uninterrupted hours free from the pull of phones.
Our own Emily Rapp shared why schools with bell-to-bell policies are seeing meaningful changes in student behavior and connection. Minnesota currently has a D on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card, but has an opportunity to give every student the same chance to learn, connect, and be present.
Read the full story: bit.ly/4yv1u8M
In this op-ed, Kent DelHousaye, president of @factennessee, makes the case for improving on the state’s C grade on the Phone-Free School Report card by implementing a bell-to-bell policy that keeps phones, smartwatches, and other personal devices securely stored throughout the entire school day.
Tennessee already restricts phones in classrooms, but as DelHousaye argues, that doesn’t go far enough. Students deserve a school day focused on learning, connection, and being present.
Read the full op-ed here: bit.ly/4BtEsBF
A disturbing new investigation from @ttp_updates shows just how quickly AI is creating new risks for children online.
Researchers found more than 350 ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms, including ads that used images of real children. Some remained online even after being reported.
Read more: bit.ly/4zVvknS
What do kids gain by logging off? More time, deeper connections, and space to recharge.
Next month, check out NoSo November, a youth-led movement encouraging teens and families to rethink their relationship with social media and build healthier digital habits. Children deserve online spaces that prioritize their well-being, not their screen time.
Join the movement: nosonovember.org/
We’re celebrating a major milestone: 25 states have gone bell-to-bell - earning the highest grades on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card!
Half of U.S. states now have statutes or executive orders mandating phone-free schools for the entire day, helping students learn and form friendships without digital distractions.
This is real momentum, and it’s making a difference – with legislative sessions starting back up in January, we look forward to seeing more progress next year!
Learn more: bit.ly/4evoFIM
Pennsylvania is now the 25th state to pass a law or executive order requiring schools go phone-free for the entire school day or from “bell-to-bell”! 🎉
IFT’s Policy Director Emily Rapp: "We applaud the bipartisan leadership of Sen. Robinson, Rep. Steele, Sen. Hughes, and Sen. Santarsiero to free students from their personal devices for the entire school day. This landmark achievement highlights that lawmakers are willing to work across the aisle to prioritize our children.”
Read more: bit.ly/4zd1oUs
There’s a gap in the AI safety conversation in how AI chatbots affect users with autism. We’re calling on researchers, AI developers, and policymakers to close it.
IFT is proud to join the American Security Foundation and nine other partners on a call to action urging experts to fill the research gap in partnership with individuals with autism and their families, AI developers to improve safety and transparency to prevent harmful design choices, and policymakers to expand emerging AI safeguards for minors to include neurodivergent adults.
Read more: bit.ly/4i13MaH
Parents don’t have to navigate the digital world alone. Internet Safety 101 from @EIETweets offers practical resources to help families keep kids safer online - from social media and smartphones to gaming, AI, cyberbullying, and online predators.
Explore the free guides and tools for parents here: bit.ly/2AIPjf1
What does Delaware’s new school cell phone policy mean for students?
In an interview with @47abc, Emily Rapp, Policy Director at the Institute for Families and Technology, explains why Delaware received a “D” on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card and why leaving key decisions up to individual districts can lead to inconsistent policies.
Read the full story: bit.ly/4xQ4MUp
Frances Haugen's leaked documents proved that platforms know the harm they cause young people - and choose engagement over safety anyway.
"The Social Reckoning" brought that story to theaters Oct 9. We hope it's a wake-up call, not just a movie night.
Wondering how you can take action after the credits roll? Check out The Social Reset: socialreset.org/
You watched "Your Attention Please." Now: what can you actually do?
Today, in collaboration with Carson J. Bride Effect and the filmmakers behind the documentary Sara Robin and Jack LeMay, we're launching The Social Reset: a digital Action Hub bringing together organizations working across 6 fronts — parenting, responsible tech, tech-intentional schools, community, policy, and legal action — so families can turn frustration into action.
Act now. At The Social Reset.
Learn more: socialreset.org/
#TheSocialReset
LISTEN: Nicki Petrossi of Scrolling 2 Death speaks with Your Attention Please filmmaker Sara Robin and Kristin Bride, the parent survivor advocate at the heart of the documentary. They discuss the film, social media, cyberbullying, AI, phone-free schools—and what a healthy relationship with tech could look like: bit.ly/4AS1eTB
#YourAttentionPlease
“Your Attention Please” isn’t a doomsday story, but a hopeful call to action for what's possible when people push back against addictive tech. The film investigates how social media is designed to hijack our attention and introduces the people rebuilding it differently. Watch now to learn what they discovered. Available now on Apple TV, Amazon, and Doc+.
Learn where to watch: yourattentionplz.com/watch
#YourAttentionPlease
The evidence is growing: phone-free schools can create more space for learning, attention, connection, and real-world relationships.
@JonHaidt's recent article on Substack looks at what schools are seeing so far.
Read more: bit.ly/4rLUenh
We’re thrilled to celebrate a new chapter for our partner, The TAG Movement! Launched by @JonHaidt, nurtured by nearly three years of momentum, the Anxious Generation campaign is becoming an official nonprofit, creating a permanent home for the growing movement to give kids more opportunities to play, explore, take risks, and grow.
Hear from cofounder and CEO Alexa Arnold on what’s next: bit.ly/4rEVKrj
The UnPluggEd Project, from Smartphone Free Childhood US and the Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project, is a week dedicated to helping schools reduce reliance on internet-connected devices and create more opportunities for focused, hands-on learning.
From October 5–9, 2026, participating schools, community groups and individuals are invited to reduce reliance on internet-connected devices and instead emphasize discussion, reading, writing, creativity, collaboration, hands-on learning, and meaningful human connection.
Learn more: bit.ly/46ppmit
Looking for a practical way to start conversations about kids and technology?
The Anxious Generation’s Parent & Teacher Talk by @JonHaidt gives parents, educators, and school leaders a shared starting point for discussing how technology is affecting childhood.
The resource covers four key changes:
• Delay smartphones
• Delay social media
• Create phone-free schools
• Give kids more independence and real-world play
Learn more: bit.ly/3T4WJ71
“Students are talking to each other in the cafeteria, in the hallways. You wouldn’t think that would be a good thing, but we’re enjoying that they’re just more plugged into what’s going on around them and less focused on the screen,” says NH social studies teacher Kimberly Bleier.
@educationweek spoke with educators about how phone-free policies are changing classrooms and helping students reconnect with each other.
Read what the teachers had to say: bit.ly/4rdTjLV
“Distraction-free learning shouldn’t be contingent on your zip code,” said Emily Rapp, IFT’s policy director, in an interview with @47abc. Delaware’s law received a “D” grade — the lowest in the Mid-Atlantic — on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card.
The article highlights findings from Delaware Department of Education pilot program data showing that 86% of teachers and staff in participating schools supported phone pouches, while 71% observed positive changes in behavior, academic performance or classroom management.
Read more: bit.ly/4xQ4MUp
