Reducing Distractions from Smartwatches in Elementary Schools

Question: I’ve noticed more elementary school kids have smartwatches recently, and they are getting notifications in the middle of the school day, often messages from their parents. What can we do to reduce these distractions? We would prefer the families contact their children the “old fashioned” way, by calling the main office, if there is an urgent issue.” 

Why are kids getting smart watches? 

It is estimated that 18% of teens (ages 13-17) and 7% of children (ages 6-12) in the United States own a smart watch. Smart watches are becoming a common alternative to getting children their first phone because they provide kids the capability to message parents when needed, answer calls, and some have location tracking, without the additional applications that a smartphone would offer. However, because smart watches are worn on the body and therefore not put away during school like phones are, educators have been finding that sometimes students are getting distracted by their family members reaching out to them during the school day or other smart watch notifications. 

Unfortunately, there has been little to no research examining how smart watches impact distraction in children in K-12 education, or best practices for reducing distractions from these smart devices.  

Why do parents send their kids messages in the middle of the school day? 

In surveys, parents say that they like to be able to reach their child during the school day in case there is an emergency – such as a problem at the school, the child feeling overwhelmed or out of control, or a health emergency. However, we are hearing from teachers that parents sometimes text or call their children in the middle of the school day for other reasons, such as organizing a pickup time or reminding them of an appointment. These types of non-emergency texts should be filtered out by do-not-disturb settings during school hours. We know from research tracking teens’ phones that they receive a lot of notifications while at school– which can create unnecessary distractions.  

Why might children want to message their parents in the middle of a school day? 

Interestingly, in a recent interview study with teens, they did not list “reaching my parents” as a reason they want to use a device during the school day! However, younger children or those with separation anxiety might be tempted to text or talk with their parents during school hours. In general, children with separation anxiety benefit from learning to tolerate time away from their parents when apart from them, so as-needed messaging could backfire. Other children or teens may want to message their parents about health issues (which should be done in coordination with the school nurse) or when experiencing emotional distress (which, ideally, they should have a social worker or other people at school to help them through).  

What can educators ask parents and families to do? 

• Familiarize themselves with school policies around the use of specific devices during the school day. 
• Encourage parents to refrain from sending non-urgent messages during the school day. Ask that parents: 
  • Talk with family members about messaging during school hours and decide on appropriate boundaries.  
  • If parents find themselves messaging their child about non-urgent things during the school day, try making a to-do list on the phone or on paper, that they can review with their child after school. Urgent messages should usually go through the school’s front desk so that the school is aware of the emergency and whether the child needs to be picked up. 
• Adjust settings on their child’s smartwatch. Suggest to parents: 
  • Set up your child’s smartwatch to have do-not-disturb settings during school hours. This should include muting non-essential notifications and restricting access to games or media. For example, on an Apple Watch, see below for School Time set up instructions. 
• Work with the school if there are issues of separation anxiety or emotional distress during the school day. Let parents know that: 
  • If your child has separation anxiety or experiences emotional distress at school, work with the school team to arrange accommodations such as 1) taking breaks to self-regulate, 2) having a social worker or counselor to talk to, 3) expectations for when caregivers can be contacted.  

For additional resources on personal device use in schools: 

• This previous portal response shares latest research on school phone policies and recommendations for creating cell phone policies. 
• This past portal response gives parents information on setting new limits on tech time where there were none before, as well as on the emotions related to these new limits. 

References 

• Koutromanos, G., & Kazakou, G. (2020). The Use of Smart Wearables in Primary and Secondary Education: A Systematic Review. Themes in eLearning, 13, 33-53.  
• Radesky, J., Weeks, H.M., Schaller, A., Robb, M., Mann, S., and Lenhart, A. (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense. 

Apple Resources 

• Apple Schooltime Setting 

• • Apple Smartwatches have a feature called Schooltime that is dedicated to reducing distractions during the school day. This feature can be set up through an Apple Watch paired through Apple Watch For Your Kids (formerly known as Family Setup).  
  • During Schooltime, a distinctive yellow circle is displayed on the watch face for teachers and parents to easily recognize, signifying that access to apps is restricted and Do Not Disturb is turned on.  
  • For convenience, parents can set the schedule on their iPhone so Apple Watch automatically goes into Schooltime during certain hours, or turn it on from Control Center on the child’s watch. 
• Setting up Schooltime 
  • Before you start, use Apple Watch For Your Kids to pair your child’s Apple Watch with your (the parents) iPhone. This way your child can use their Apple Watch, without needing their own iPhone. Once paired, follow the steps below. 
  • Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone  
  • Tap All Watches, tap the “info” icon for your child’s watch.
  • Go to Schooltime, Turn on Schooltime, then tap Edit Schedule. 
  • Choose the days and times you want Schooltime to be active on the watch. 
  • Tap Add Time if you want to set up multiple schedules during a day – from 8:00am to noon and then 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, for example. 

• • Your child will receive a notification that Schooltime has been setup and as the parent, you are able to repeat these steps and change the Schooltime hours any time you want.  
• Exit Schooltime Temporarily 

• • The child can exit Schooltime temporarily on their own watch to do things like check messages. To exit Schooltime, press and hold the Digital Crown, then tap Exit to confirm. Once their watch goes dark after inactivity, Schooltime turns back on for the remainder of the scheduled Schooltime period.  
  • The starting and ending times of all temporary Schooltime exits are reported in the Watch app on your (the parents) iPhone. To see when Schooltime was exited, open the Watch app, tap All Watches, tap your family member’s Apple Watch, then tap Schooltime. 

Age: 4-11 

Topics: Smartwatch distractions, school policy, student notifications, classroom technology, classroom interruptions, notification management, classroom focus, student devices 

Role: Educator