Student Scholars Day marks 30 years of research

In February, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation requiring school districts to adopt policies that banned smartphone use during class time, making Michigan one of 35 states to adopt such policies.

With nearly a decade of experience working with children and families, Abigail Austin has seen firsthand how disruptive technology can be for young minds. Now, as a senior studying psychology and philosophy, she researched whether policies like these actually make a difference.

"As smartphone use rises, early research links it to classroom disruption, decrease in sleep quality and declining mental health, but the data is limited," Austin said. "Early evidence also suggests that phone bans may offer modest benefits.

"This project aims to explore what we know so far, what is still missing in our knowledge and to make suggestions for future research to guide effective state school phone ban policies."

Austin's project built on her professional background. Before returning to college as an adult learner, she spent nearly 10 years working in childcare as a nanny, daycare provider, childcare coordinator, tutor and education coordinator. In one role as an online literacy tutor, she experienced the advantages and challenges of integrating technology into education.

"Almost all my jobs center around kids, parenting, navigating crises, and education, so this is definitely a passion of mine," Austin said.

Working with associate professor of psychology Mihaela Friedlmeier, Austin developed a survey that examined how parents monitor and manage their children's digital use and discovered the challenges that come with research.

"It was interesting to learn how to pivot and ask different questions when the timeline, data collection, and presentation dates didn't necessarily align," Austin said.

Austin hopes her project helps address gaps in the emerging data and provide clearer insight into how school policies can be shaped moving forward.

"As technology develops alongside this next generation, it is imperative that we better understand how to effectively steward this tool in our lives as well as our kids' lives, minimizing the negative while stewarding and guiding the positive," Austin said.