Media outlets were quick to pounce when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that cell phones should be banned in schools in part because of “electromagnetic radiation.” Instead of focusing on the merits of a cell phone ban, outlets chose not to highlight a real issue in public schools and instead continued their campaign to frame the HHS secretary as a conspiratorial idiot who “frequently” spreads misinformation.

Lean into the crazy, ignore the facts. So much for transparency and real journalistic integrity. NBC News, Newsweek, and other outlets quickly proclaimed that the “bulk” of research on cell phones presents no proof that they either cause cancer or alter DNA. But these outlets brushed over the fact that cell phones, and social media, are assisting in the degradation and destruction of American youths.

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During the pandemic, I deleted the YouTube Kids app off the “kid iPad” when I saw the mindless scrolling from my 11-year-old niece and oldest daughter at the time. My bias was confirmed when Jonathan Haidt and his research showed that it’s not just screens that are bad, but it’s the scrolling that is bad, too. His book, Anxious Generation, was one of the first sounding the alarm on this issue.

“Our kids are not thriving,” he has argued. “What’s happening here is the largest destruction of human capital. This is beyond anything you can imagine. This isn’t just about depression; it’s a complete transformation of how you exist on this planet.”

I recently put a timer on my social media apps. Do I sometimes ignore said timer when I’ve hit my 15-minute limit for the day? In all honesty, yes. But my weekly recap shows that I have massively cut down on doom scrolling, online shopping (anyone else fill up a cart and never check out? It’s like the internet’s version of window shopping), and celebrity news drama by doing this. I’m a 39-year-old woman with a fully developed prefrontal cortex. Children in school spend way more than 15 minutes a day on social media and phones in school.

According to teachers, who want phones removed from classrooms, they see the mindless scrolling during school hours. The vast majority of teachers say cell phone bans have increased student attention levels and class involvement. Even some students recognize the dangers they and their peers face with their phones: from high school senior “Ben” interviewed by the Atlantic last year to Ruby, a teenager who implores members of her generation to get rid of screens altogether and delve into books for their long-term growth and happiness. 

This is one of those bipartisan issues you would assume the media would be happy to cover. From conservative Christian Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia to radical leftist Gov. Gavin Newsom in my home state of California, legislators are locking down the cell phone use in schools with the support of educators and parents. 

Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the nation, implemented a classroom ban on cell phones that started last month. I am sure we will see the positive impact on students and supporting data soon.

COMMITTEE PASSES BILL REQUIRING CELLPHONE POLICIES IN SCHOOLS

What the media doesn’t realize is that many mamas, MAHA or not, hear the HHS secretary actively advocating for the best for their children in our schools and cheer, rather than raging over the idea that cellphones are bad in most settings, especially an educational one.

Maybe the media should get out of their bubble before they choose to lambaste the HHS secretary for helping our nation’s youth. Most voters see these issues affecting themselves or someone they love daily, and they want someone in government to recognize that the next generation needs our help before it’s too late.

Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator and speaker who resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their four children. She is an advocate for women’s rights, school choice, and smaller government.