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Israel's Attention Revolution fights child smartphone addiction, spreading nationwide

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • An Israeli initiative called The Attention Revolution aims to reduce child and teen smartphone addiction by fostering a new social contract around digital technology use.
  • The program involves parents agreeing on terms like smartphone acquisition age and allowed apps, with support from municipalities and schools nationwide.
  • The initiative seeks to involve 10% of Israeli schoolchildren within two years, addressing concerns about the negative impacts of excessive screen time on mental health and sleep.

The Attention Revolution, an Israeli initiative tackling child and teen smartphone addiction, is rapidly expanding nationwide, aiming to involve one in 10 school children within two years. The program's core strategy is to rebuild the relationship between people and digital technology by establishing a new social contract among parents.

The Attention Revolution is trying to rebuild the relationship between people and digital technology.

— Asaf BannerCEO of Attention Revolution, explaining the initiative's core mission.

Asaf Banner, CEO of Attention Revolution, explained that the initiative works by creating class-by-class agreements among parents. These agreements typically outline terms such as the age at which children can receive their first smartphone and which applications are permissible. "Is there going to be WhatsApp? Is there going to be social media or not? These are the norms that are built by the parents that regard the kids," Banner said. The program receives simultaneous support from municipalities, communities, and schools across Israel.

Cell phones are great, and technology is amazing, but we have lost our balance, and we are trying to bring it back.

— Asaf BannerDescribing the problem the initiative aims to solve.

"The pendulum has started moving," Banner stated, noting the initiative's rapid growth. Currently, it operates in 96 elementary and 49 secondary schools, serving approximately 77,500 students across nearly a dozen municipalities, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Herzliya. The program addresses growing concerns that children are obtaining phones too early and becoming addicted to social media, which can lead to severe harm.

We work with local communities around Israel and with schools, and we try to build a new norm around how to use digital technology and when children should start using it.

— Asaf BannerDetailing the program's approach to establishing healthy digital habits.

Research supports these concerns. A study in the journal Pediatrics found that 12-year-old smartphone owners were more likely to experience mental health issues like depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep. Another study in the Journal of Adolescence linked social media addiction to aggressive behaviors in children. The Attention Revolution seeks to counteract these trends by promoting a more balanced approach to digital technology.

The pendulum has started moving.

— Asaf BannerHighlighting the initiative's progress and momentum.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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