About

The team from the award-winning Screenagers Documentaries has developed the "Away For The Day" (AFTD) initiative to help transform schools into cell phone-free spaces.

We hear daily from parents, teachers, and principals around the country through the thousands of Screenagers’ screenings to more than 2 million people that cell phones are creating a huge distraction in schools, and people want change.

Dr. Delaney Ruston, a physician and filmmaker who created Screenagers, approaches screen time issues from an evidence-based perspective. When she discovered there were no studies on cell phone policies in schools, she and the Screenagers’ team decided to conduct a national survey on cell phone policies in schools and parental preferences. They learned that 55% of middle schools let students carry phones all day, yet 82% of parents do not want their kids using phones at school. We have also done surveys at the elementary school level and know that phones are showing up in K-5 classes regularly, too, and many parents want clear cell phone policies in their schools and on buses to the schools, as well.

We have looked deeply into the scientific literature and have found several concerning studies on academic performance and emotional well-being regarding cell phones in schools. To find solutions, the Screenagers' team talked with dozens of schools that recently changed from allowing students to carry phones to adopting “Away For The Day” policies. They heard almost exclusively positive stories about the changes. From there, the “Away For The Day” initiative was born.

We believe that the best practice is to have phones and smartwatches off and put away all day so that they are physically off of the students.

Where can should the phones go?

Leave them at home.
Leave them in lockers.
Leave them in a designated place at school, e.g., hanging pocket holders, baskets, a locked safe, Yondr pouches, the office, etc. For schools where this is not logistically possible, having students put their phones in their backpacks is the next best choice.

“Yes, cell phones can be tools—calculators, flash cards, etc.—and yes it takes some energy to keep them put away in schools, but I am 100% convinced that for the sake of our students, it is worth it and truly doable.” —Delaney Ruston, MD and Screenagers' filmmaker

To contact us, email info@screenagersmovie.com or call (415) 450-9585

Our Team

Delaney Ruston, MD

Filmmaker/Physician/Movement Builder

Delaney Ruston chose her two career paths of primary care physician and documentary filmmaker for one reason: to help create positive change in people’s lives. Her experiences receiving medical care in free clinics while growing up motivated her to pursue health care. During her medicine residency, she began studying filmmaking for social impact and made her first award-winning film.

For twenty years, Delaney has split her time between providing primary care and creating short and feature-length documentaries, such as "Screenagers" "Screenagers Next Chapter" and "Screenagers Under The Influence" Examples of her other films include "Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia" about her father and "Hidden Pictures" about global mental health. These films have been screened widely, aired on PBS, and were at the forefront of advocacy campaigns, including with the World Health Organization. For her work in using films to build movements, Delaney has won several awards, including Harvard’s McLean National Council Recognition Award and New York’s Fountain House Advocacy Award.

Delaney trained at Stanford Medical School and completed a medicine residency at UC San Francisco. She has practiced and taught medicine in diverse settings, including faculty positions at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Center for Medical Humanities, Bioethics, and Compassionate Care at Stony Brook School of Medicine, NY.

Ruston has conducted investigative research in diverse fields — including biophysics at NIH, bioethics and communication at UCSF, and behavioral health as a Fulbright Scholar. She has spent the past six years intensely researching the impact of screen time on youth and solutions for screen time balance.

Lisa Tabb

Co-producer of Screenagers and Screenagers Next Chapter and Co-director/producer of Screenagers Under The Influence

Lisa Tabb is a distinguished producer with a rich background in digital media and parenting. She co-produced the "Screenagers Movie Trilogy" and co-directed "Screenagers Under The Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol." She also co-produces "The Screenagers Podcast" and edits the “Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday" weekly blog since 2016. Tabb has made significant contributions to the global discourse on youth screen time, with the Screenagers films reaching over 10 million individuals across 90 countries. Her publishing achievements include "Parenting in the Digital Age: A Guide to Calm Conversation." Before her foray into film, she spent 15 years at ABC 7 News in San Francisco, focusing on parenting trends and emerging technologies, and began her career in magazine publishing, notably creating "EcoTraveler." She also co-authored "Beyond Vegas," chronicling her unique experience of marrying her husband in 10 different countries.

Katherine Csizmadia

Outreach at Screenagers and writer.
She has spoken to hundreds of parents, teachers, principals, counselors and more about their struggles with screen time issues.

Monica Bergman

Outreach at Screenagers and counselor.
She has spoken to hundreds of parents, teachers, principals, counselors and more about their struggles with screen time issues.

Rebecca Tollen

Producer and writer. Rebecca researches, writes and edits material for Screenagers' and Away For The Day's impact campaigns.

Advisory Team

Leslie Walker, MD

Medical Director of the Penn State Children’s Hospital and expert in adolescent health. She is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of young people.

Jeff klugman

Elected School Board Member in Silicon Valley and Tech Executive. Jeff is encouraging his school district to adopt away for the day policies.

Shivam Mallick Shah

Senior Advisor to the Education team at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. She worked at the US Dept. of Ed, and was Deputy Director on the Ed team at the Gates Foundation.

DAVID FINNANE

Middle school principal at Bayside in Sausalito, CA. Instituted Away For The Day cell phone policies at 2 middle schools.

Nelson Branco, MD

Pediatrician, Marin County, CA. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is very involved with the Council on Communications and Media.

Tiffany Kendall Obayashi

Assistant Principal at Rooftop School, San Francisco, CA. Her K-8 public SFUSD school has an away for the day cell phone policy.

Chris Bick

Assistant Principal, Sunset High School, Oregon. He recently spearheaded a cell phone change at his public school.

Emily Huff

Clinical Faculty at Seattle Pacific University's School of Education. She is a former teacher who now trains upcoming teachers.

Gabrielle Fitzgerald

CEO of Panorama. Her action think tank is dedicated to helping people successfully tackle major societal issues.

David Oliver

Past board chair, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO. David works with businesses and non-profits to improve education and children’s health.

Tessa Small

College student whose story is featured in Screenagers. Tessa has spoken in several schools about screen time topics.