Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the “gradual apathy pandemic” in eighth grade. Only a handful of classmates registered for service projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up.
When she got to high school last fall, Isabella found the problem was even worse: a lackluster Spirit Week and classes where students seldom spoke. In some ways, it’s as if students “just care less and less about what people think, but also somehow care more ,” said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, no longer care about appearing disengaged, while others are so afraid of ridicule they keep to themselves.
She blames social media and the lingering isolation of the post-COVID era. Educators say their tried and true lesson plans are no longer enough to keep students engaged at a time of struggling mental health , shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening academic performance . At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones.
Now, adults are trying new strategies to reverse the malaise. Cell phone bans are gaining traction, but many say they’re not enough. They argue for alternative stimulation: steering students outdoors or toward extracurriculars to fill time they might otherwise spend alone online.
And students need outlets, they say, to speak about taboo topics without fear of being “ canceled ” on social media. “To get students engaged now, you have to be very, very creative,” said Wilbur Higgins, l.