At Clifton High School in Clifton, New Jersey, senior Gianna Colon is a multi-sport athlete, sophomore Sebastian Fazio loves math and baseball, and sophomore Hamza Ramach excels in band and serves as goalie on the school hockey team.
Yet despite their varied interests, they all grapple with the challenges posed by excessive screen time use. When they spent too much time scrolling through social media or browsing apps on their phones, they felt drained and exhausted. They admit to spending anywhere from four to 13 hours per day on digital devices, with bedtime being the primary culprit.
Colon confided to CBS News that she experiences a significant dip in energy after hours of screen time. “It’s like I feel ‘drained’ when I spend too much time scrolling,” she explained.
Fazio echoed her sentiments: “Sometimes when I’m winding down before bed, I watch for a bit and then get addicted.”
For his part, Ramach admitted he struggles to cut back on his screen use without external help. “I don’t think I can do it alone,” he confessed.
To address these issues, the three students agreed to abstain from using their phones at bedtime for an entire week, experimenting with different tools to manage their screen time better during daylight hours.
Colon tried out a device named Brick—an external square placed on her phone that could be left at home. By tapping it against her smartphone, she would trigger a temporary lockout of distracting apps.
Sebastian Ramach then tested ScreenZen, a free app designed to help users curb their screen time by requiring them to wait before accessing certain apps.
Meanwhile, Fazio was introduced to grayscale mode on his phone—a feature that turns the screen completely black and white. “It doesn’t look good at all,” he remarked, noting how this stripped the colors from social media platforms like Instagram, rendering it less appealing.
Over a week of trial, they recorded video diaries documenting their progress.
Colon reported seeing significant improvement: “I’ve been doing other things now—like diamond painting instead.” She added that her phone’s physical barrier against app access at school helped curb temptation during the day.
“Brick definitely took away the temptation,” Colon said. “It was really good; it helped me be more productive without my phone.”
Ramach found ScreenZen helpful, though he admitted to occasionally wanting to unblock his apps: “It’s tempting,” he admitted, noting how his father noticed improved behavior during this period.
“I wanted to go practice in the morning,” Ramach explained. His dad responded by asking incredulously if he actually had practices scheduled for mornings.
Fazio reported a drastic reduction in screen time due to grayscale mode: “I was at three hours before; now it’s down to 20 minutes per day.” He said, “That feels really great.”
When asked what other students should learn from their experiment, Colon emphasized the broader picture of life beyond screens: “You don’t need to depend solely on your phone for everything. There’s so much more out there… besides just scrolling through TikTok or Instagram all day.”
In this instance, Clifton High School’s students provide a compelling case study in balancing academic pursuits and personal well-being amid the pervasive influence of digital devices.