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Successful Phone-Free Schools: Hearing from Youth
Monday, July 28, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Harveer Saini, Student at Dublin High School (CA), and Digital Civics Intern at #HalfTheStory Project; and Ally Phan, Student at the University of Washington, and Social Media Coordinator for #HalfTheStory Project
Moderated by Dr. Kelly Mendoza, Education Program Manager, #HalfTheStory Project
Sponsored by #HalfTheStory Project
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There are a lot of stakeholders to consider when schools transition to being phone free. But we often don’t hear from the students themselves, and they are an essential part of the picture. Join us for a powerful, teen-led conversation about what young people experience attending a phone-free school—and what teachers and administrators need to understand to make phone-free policies work.
In this interactive edWebinar, viewers engage in a conversation with youth ambassadors from #HalfTheStory, who share their firsthand experiences, insights, and advice about life without phones during the school day. Based on their experiences and hearing from other teens, they discuss what’s working, what’s not, and how administrators and educators can create a supportive, engaging phone-free learning environment.
Whether you’re considering a phone-free policy or looking to improve an existing one, this session provides fresh perspectives from young people, with student-centered strategies to help you bring teen concerns and voices to the table. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how to bring young people to the table for a successful phone-free school!
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to middle and high school teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders.
About the Presenters
Harveer Saini is a senior at Dublin High School and currently serves as the Digital Civics Intern at #HalfTheStory, where he helps empower the next generation of digital changemakers. Through initiatives like the annual Digital Civics Academy, he ensures that young people have the tools, platforms, and confidence to shape tech policy and advocate for their digital well-being. Harveer is also the Founder and President of the National AI Youth Council, a youth-led initiative with delegates from over 25 states driving AI innovation and responsible tech policy. Under his leadership, the Council has co-sponsored over 20 bills in California focused on AI chatbot regulation, digital wellness on social media, and ethical tech. Harveer has also spoken at the United Nations General Assembly, where he advocated for youth inclusion in global tech governance. He is passionate about putting youth at the center of conversations on digital wellness, policy, and the future of technology.
Ally Phan is a student studying business and education policy at the University of Washington and a passionate advocate for digital well-being. As the Social Media Coordinator for #HalfTheStory, she empowers youth to lead conversations around mental health, screen use, and the realities of growing up online. Featured by Children and Screens, Ally uses storytelling to make digital wellness more accessible across generations and ensure young people feel seen, supported, and heard.
About the Moderator
Dr. Kelly Mendoza supports schools with digital well-being education with the #HalfTheStory Project’s Social Media U curriculum. Dr. Mendoza is a thought leader and subject matter expert on media literacy, digital citizenship, and digital well-being. She works with #HalfTheStory supporting schools implementing their digital wellness programs, and also oversees the internship program at Design Tech High School. She is passionate about harnessing technology for social good.
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#HalfTheStory is a non-profit dedicated to improving the next generation’s relationship with technology. As the first youth-led non-profit of its kind, #HalfTheStory focuses on progressing education and advocacy work surrounding social media and tech use. Through its evidence-based education program, Social Media U, young people in schools across the US, UK, and Canada are taught the skills needed to have a healthy relationship with their screens and are empowered to understand and advocate for their digital health. Larissa May founded #HalfTheStory after facing her own struggles with social media and has spent the past 10 years driving a global movement towards digital wellness. #HalfTheStory’s funders include Pinterest, Pivotal, a Melinda French Gates organization, The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, The Archwell Foundation, and The Born This Way Foundation. In 2023, #HalfTheStory was selected by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as one of the 26 organizations named to the first-ever Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund. In 2024, #HalfTheStory announced an education partnership with Girls Inc. to serve girls across the country.
