Newburgh, New York — At Newburgh Free Academy in New York, cell telephones are locked away for all the faculty day, together with lunch.

Students like Tyson Hill and Monique May say it’s a reduction after continuously being on their telephones through the COVID-19 lockdown, when display time amongst adolescents greater than doubled, based on a study final yr within the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.

“I blame my darkest moments because of my phone,” Tyson informed CBS News.

May stated telephone and social media use throughout this time was completely guilty for her psychological well being struggles.

“All of it, for me personally,” May stated.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 57% of highschool ladies within the U.S. felt persistently unhappy or hopeless during the pandemic, double that of boys.

May disclosed she typically felt bullied or remoted after taking a look at social media.

“Throughout my middle school experience, like there was a lot of people talking about you, whether it be on Snapchat, posting a story that made fun of the way you looked,” May stated. “It made me feel depressed.”

In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the results of social media on youth psychological well being.

“The youth mental health crisis is the defining public health issue of our time,” Murthy informed CBS News. “If we do not address it with urgency, then I worry we will lose an entire generation of children to depression, anxiety and suicide.”

Murthy stated he would take into account calling for “restrictions” on using smartphones throughout faculty hours.

“I do think that we should have restrictions on phones in the school setting,” Murthy defined. “We fundamentally have to understand that these devices, and in particular social media, is behaving largely as addictive element.”

Ebony Clark, assistant principal at Newburgh Free Academy, says banning telephones has helped lower down on on-line bullying.

“All I’m doing is giving them the opportunity to engage in school and leave the drama outside these doors,” Clark stated.

May stated she’s skilled enhancements in her psychological well being due to Newburgh’s telephone restrictions.

“I’m more confident in who I am,” May stated. “And I think that just comes from not being able to worry about what other people are saying about me. Just being me.”