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June 2025 Newsletter |
Portland Schools Join the Bell-to-Bell Phone Ban Movement
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This week brings encouraging news from Portland, where the school board unanimously approved a comprehensive device policy for the upcoming fall semester.
The new policy prohibits phone and smart watch use from the first bell to the last, addressing what many educators describe as their greatest classroom challenge. Teachers shared powerful testimony about the constant battle to keep students focused, while parents voiced concerns about the mental health impacts of constant connectivity on their children.
The decision sparked debateâstudent representatives voted against it, and Portland Outright, an LGBTQ+ youth organization, raised concerns about impacts on marginalized students. However, the board ultimately sided with growing evidence that phone-free schools create better learning environments.
Early results from Morse High School in Bath show promising outcomes: fewer suspensions, improved focus, and higher teacher morale. Portland's flexible approach allows for exceptional circumstances and lets individual schools determine implementation, with high schools likely using magnetic locking pouches.
As one teacher noted, removing phones means no longer "inviting distraction into the classroom." |
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đ” Governor Mills Signs Bill Requiring Local School Cellphone Policies
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Over the past six months, weâve been proud to support the Turn the Tide Coalition and its work on LD 1234âa bill designed to address student cellphone use in Maine schools.
We're pleased to share that LD 1234 passed the Legislature at the end of May and was signed into law by Governor Mills on June 9. đ
While the final version does not mandate a statewide, bell-to-bell device policy as originally proposed (and as New Hampshire's House recently passed by an overwhelming 314-42 margin), it does require every school district in Maine to develop and adopt a policy on cellphone use by August 2026.
Thanks to the leadership of Turn the Tide and the efforts of many advocates across the state, this important issue is now front and center in Maine.
With the state setting this new expectation, the focus now shifts to the local level.
Weâre committed to supporting efforts in Cape Elizabeth to adopt a strong bell-to-bell device policy, just as other districtsâlike Portland, which recently approved such a policy. |
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đ§ Connect with The CATT Community This Summer |
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Weâre building something just for youâa private online space where parents can connect, share stories, swap strategies, and support each other as we raise kids in a world saturated with screens, social media, and emerging tech like AI.
This summer, we're inviting a small group of engaged parents to beta test our đ„ NEW CATT Community Platform đ„ before its public launch. Think of it as a digital campfireâdesigned for thoughtful conversation, real talk, and collective wisdom. No algorithms. No noise. Just intentional community.
If you believe parenting in the digital age requires connection, courage, and curiosityâ
đ Click below to join our beta test crew. If you need help accessing this community, email Kira: kira@kirahug.com
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| JOIN BETA COMMUNITY |
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â ïž Online Threat Alert for Parents in District (PLUS, Survey!)
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Earlier this month (June 6th), you should have received an important email from Superintendent Dr. Chris Record about a regional safety alert.
Cumberland County Emergency Management, along with the FBI and CISA, warned that extremist groups are actively targeting children ages 9-17 through popular platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Discord, and others.
â ïž These groups aim to inflict psychological and physical harm, using tactics including forcing children to produce harmful content and then using it as leverage for further abuse. â ïž
This concerning situation highlights an opportunity for all of usâparents, educators, and administratorsâto work together on creating safer digital environments for our children.
Turn the Tide is gathering insights from families about their experiences with technology access in schools.
- We're collecting stories and perspectives from Maine families about their observations and concerns regarding tech use during school hours. These insights will help inform constructive conversations about creating safer, more focused learning environments.
- If you'd like to share your thoughts or experiences, please consider completing this brief survey (link below).
- Feel free to pass this along to other parents who might want to contribute to this important dialogue.
We believe that by working collaboratively with our schools and district leaders, we can find solutions that protect our students while supporting their educational needs.
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| TAKE THE SURVEY â
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âïž Share This Newsletter With a Friend Today & Spread The Word |
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The best way you can spread the word and help Cape Alliance for Thoughtful Tech make a difference in the community is by sharing this newsletter with a friend today. Thank you!
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đ„ June Edition: What We're Currently Exploring in Tech & Parenting
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đ WHAT WEâRE READING...
Book: Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Jennifer Wallace exposes how our achievement-obsessed culture is harming kids' mental health and self-worth.
Her research reveals that when children tie their value to accomplishmentsâwhether GPAs, sports, or social media metricsâanxiety and depression follow.
Wallace offers a refreshing alternative: building "mattering" into family life, where kids feel valued for who they are, not what they achieve.
Essential reading for parents navigating the intersection of achievement pressure and digital life, where likes, followers, and online status amplify these toxic dynamics. |
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đż WHAT WEâRE WATCHING...
Documentary: Can't Look Away
This powerful 2025 documentary follows lawyers at the Social Media Victims Law Center as they take on Big Tech for families whose children died by suicide, overdose, or exploitation linked to social media.
Directors Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz expose how addictive algorithms prey on vulnerable youth, while tech companies prioritize profits over safety.
Through heartbreaking family testimonies and high-stakes legal battles, the film reveals the human cost of unregulated social media.
A must-watch wake-up call for any parent whose child uses social platforms. $7 rental - Available until August 4th
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đ§ WHAT WEâRE LISTENING TO...
Podcast: AI's Unseen Risks with Zak Stein on The Great Simplification
Philosopher Zak Stein joins Nate Hagens to unpack how AI integration threatens children's development in ways we're only beginning to understand.
Stein warns that over-reliance on AI erodes critical thinking, diminishes human connection, and creates new forms of digital addictionâespecially dangerous for developing minds.
His most pressing concern: while the tech industry pushes AI into education as 'inevitable,' educators and parents are often learning behind their children, leaving us without adequate frameworks to protect kids from AI's invisible risks.
The conversation explores practical stepsâfrom interface design to access regulationâthat can limit AI's negative effects while preserving independent thinking and foundational learning.
Essential listening for parents and educators seeking a balanced approach to AI that amplifies rather than replaces human connection and genuine development. |
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đ„ WHAT WEâRE INSPIRED BY...
What We're Inspired By: Teens Creating The Ditch Weekly via The New York Times
Twenty teenagers in Montauk run their own print newspaperâentirely youth-led and profitable from ad sales they secure themselves.
These 13-to-17-year-olds cover the community they know: surf shops, pancake house rivalries, and winter business survivalânot the celebrity sightings everyone expects from the Hamptons.
What strikes us most is how it transforms their relationship with technology. One writer admitted social media had become "actually an addiction," but the paper gives her something meaningful to break away for.
The founders chose print over digital, walking into stores to sell ads and weighing down newspaper stacks with painted rocks.
They're building real skills: interviewing, meeting deadlines, managing financesâall without parental involvement.
We love stories like thisâproof that when teenagers find passion projects, phones naturally take a back seat.
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đ CATT's Mission: Support each other in being more thoughtful and proactive about the impact of tech in our children's lives |
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Inspired by Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, our mission is to empower kids, parents, and educators in Cape Elizabeth to create a more thoughtful childhood rich in critical thinking, nature exploration, creative play, hands-on learning, and the freedom to make mistakes and grow.
Coming together as a community, sharing our experiences, and learning from one another will make a big difference.
As part of that effort, we advocate for:
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No smartphones before high school,
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No social media before 16,
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No phones in schools, and
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More free, independent play.
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Newsletter image created by ChatGPT |
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