Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Pinterest is joining the initiative to encourage young individuals to disengage from their mobile devices. The prominent social media platform is piloting a novel pop-up message targeting minors in the United States and Canada specifically during typical school hours, urging them to close the application until their school day ends. This action aligns with broader efforts to address digital wellbeing and limit distraction from phone use among students.
Encouraging Focus During School
The message prompting disengagement is currently being tested on the platform. According to reports, the notification states, “Focus is a beautiful thing. Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down and pausing notifs until the school bell rings.”
This particular prompt will appear only for individuals aged 13 to 17, and exclusively between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Scope of the Pinterest Initiative
Pinterest has indicated that this extensive test will affect “millions” of users within the specified age demographic. The company claims to be the first technology firm to experiment with such a “proactive” function designed to help school-aged students concentrate on their education.
Wanji Walcott, Pinterest’s chief legal and business affairs officer, commented on the balance between technology and education. “At Pinterest, we believe that schools can take advantage of all that technology has to offer students, while minimizing the harms and distractions,” she stated, according to external reports.
She further added, “Tech companies need to work together with teachers, parents and policymakers to build solutions that ensure [that] in the hands of our students, smartphones are tools, not distractions.”
Context: School Mobile Phone Policies
This development occurs as policy discussions around student mobile phone use in schools intensify. New York State is reportedly close to enacting a comprehensive prohibition on phone use during school hours, often termed a “bell-to-bell” ban.
Numerous other states across the country already have analogous regulations implemented, either limiting or altogether prohibiting the use of mobile devices on school grounds during the instructional day.
Pinterest Chief Executive Officer, Bill Ready, has previously voiced support for policies promoting phone-free school environments and for legislative efforts like the Kids Online Safety Act.
Investing in Digital Wellbeing Education
In addition to the in-app feature test, the company also announced a significant financial commitment. Pinterest will provide a $1 million grant to the non-profit organization International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
The purpose of this grant is to “support school leaders in creating a healthy digital culture in their schools.” This funding is intended to finance task forces established in 12 school districts nationwide. These groups will be responsible for developing policies aimed at “improve students’ digital wellbeing.”