The JOMOcast with Christina Crook

We can remember a time before the Internet. They can’t.Today’s adolescents are living in the era of everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything—a time where AI blurs the lines of reality and digital capitalism drives the terms of social engagement to the extent that students are left wanting, wanting for something real.This week’s guest is Jean Rogers – the director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, a collaborative community of practitioners, educators, advocates and parents working to reduce excessive screen use in childhood. She is the author of “Kids Under Fire: Seven Simple Steps to Combat the Media Attack on Your Child,” a book that has helped parents empower their children to make healthy screen choices andbecome responsible consumers of screen media. Jean believes that digital wellness in childhood translates to healthy, responsible, successful adults.In this episode, we discuss:- Screen Time Action’s mission and mandate- Responsible advocacy versus personal responsibility- The paid NextGen digital wellness advocacy opportunity for students - Techno-voidance- Authentic relationships, Character development, and Presence in the Digital Age- The case for phone-free schools (Jonathan Haidt et al)- Her digital wellness “Drive, date, discuss” tips• • •Supported by JOMO(campus), Season 4 explores the landscape of students, smartphones and social media, asking global experts to explain the hard truths about the mental health decline among youth on campuses worldwide and inspire us with evidence-based strategies that will turn the tide. Get more JOMO at jomocast.com. Learn more about the JOMO(campus) digital well-being program at jomocampus.com

When the high schoolers who attend Buxton boarding school in Williamstown, Massachusetts, resumed in-person learning in the fall of 2020, the head of the school noticed that the kids had lost something important. After months of remote learning due to the pandemic, kids no longer knew how to interact with one another. “The students had completely forgotten the basics of face-to-face interaction. They had spent so much time glued to their smartphones.”Everybody’s attention was being sucked into their online lives — text messages, emails and social media apps — on their phones. The students struggled to converse with one another, and the ability to be with or sit with other people was gone entirely. They decided to conduct a social experiment: a smartphone ban for the entire campus - faculty, students and administration. Instead, each community member was given a Light Phone, a minimalist device designed to be used as little as possible. Where smartphones make it easier to do wrong things - like doom scroll and binge watch - the light phone makes it easier to pay attention to what matters - the people and experiences right in front of us. The kids have never been happier. In this episode with light phone co-founder Joe Hollier and Buxton School co-director John Kalapos, we discuss:How smartphones and social media negatively impact campus culture: “The smartphone makes it easier to do the wrong things.”Faculty-led concept of (and participation in) going smartphone-freeStudent-written technology policiesPositive impacts of removing smartphones from campus: “Now, I don’t have to be a smartphone cop.”How minimalist phones like Light make it easier to do the right thingsDigital well-being advice for school leaders• • •Supported by JOMO(campus), Season 4 explores the landscape of students, smartphones and social media, asking global experts to explain the hard truths about the mental health decline among youth on campuses worldwide and inspire us with evidence-based strategies that will turn the tide. Get more JOMO at jomocast.com.Learn more about the JOMO(campus) digital well-being program at jomocampus.com Check out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.com Music by Thomas J. Inge

Jon Eckert is a Professor of Educational Leadership at Baylor University. He taught and coached intermediate and middle school students outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years. After completing his doctorate at Vanderbilt University, he was selected as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked in both the Bush and Obama administrations on teaching quality issues. Dr. Eckert has conducted research for the U.S. Department of Education, the Carnegie Foundation, the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, and the Center for Teaching Quality.In this episode, we discuss Jon’s newest book, “Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-being for Each Student,” the threats to effective education in today’s digital climate and teaching strategies to address digital distraction and disengagement to bring out students’ best.• • •Supported by JOMO(campus), Season 4 explores the landscape of students, smartphones and social media, asking global experts to explain the hard truths about the mental health decline among youth on campuses worldwide and inspire us with evidence-based strategies that will turn the tide. Get more JOMO at jomocast.com.Book a JOMO(campus) discovery call at jomocampus.com Check out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.com Music by Thomas J. Inge

In this engaging podcast episode, Christina is joined by Dr. Michael Rich, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, at Harvard Medical School and Founder of the Digital Wellness Lab - an academic research center focused on media and technology as a powerful environmental health influence. Dr. Rich guides Christina through the significant hurdles that modern students encounter and offers valuable insights on harnessing technology effectively.Additionally, Dr. Rich discusses his current initiatives at the Digital Wellness Lab, along with his reasons for maintaining optimism about the Lab's mission to adapt swiftly in response to three dynamic factors: Human dynamics, the evolving media landscape, and shifts in behavior. • • •Get more JOMO at jomocast.com.Book a JOMO(campus) discovery call at jomocampus.com Check out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.com Music by Thomas J. Inge

On today's mini-season premiere, Christina is joined by Laurie Fritsch, Digital Well-Being Specialist at Virginia Tech, who has witnessed adolescent mental health decline first hand.Laurie guides Christina through the significant shifts she has seen in student wellness since starting her public health role over 20 years ago, shares what she believes has driven the changes and suggests how colleges and universities can address these challenges.Plus, Laurie shares what she's putting into practice in her work at Virginia Tech — and why she remains optimistic that change is underway.• • •Get more JOMO at jomocast.com Book a JOMO(campus) discovery call at jomocampus.comCheck out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.comMusic by Thomas J. Inge

Hey, joy seekers!On the JOMO(cast), digital wellness expert Christina Crook invites tech founders, creators, and thought leaders to share the ways they’re embracing the joy of missing out to flourish in a rapidly-changing world. This "mini-season", she'll be exploring campus mental health in support of her work with her newest initiative, JOMO(campus): a first-of-its-kind initiative specifically tailored for higher education.Our season premiere debuts on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, with new episodes released bi-weekly. Subscribe now in your favourite podcast app for less FOMO, more JOMO.--------Contact Christina:christina [at] christinacrook.comCheck out the JOMO Goods shop:www.jomogoods.com Connect with Christina here: www.experiencejomo.com@thechristinacrookMusic by Thomas J. Inge

Today’s show is a replay of a conversation I had with Anil Dash. Anil is the person who coined the term ‘JOMO’, and hearing him explain what JOMO means to him in this episode makes me beam at the impact the JOMO movement has.Anil is the Founder of Glitch, an app that helps developers code. We spoke about the origin of how the word ‘JOMO’ came to be and the beauty of missing out on the urgency of responding to messages and emails instantly.We also discussed why it’s important to not let people project their personal views onto us or choose who we should be, and how he advocates for ethical tech within the industry. Get more JOMO at jomocast.com and bonus content at www.patreon.com/jomocast  Check out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.com Book a 15-minute coffee chat with Christina - https://calendly.com/christina-crook/call Connect with Christina here: @thechristinacrookConnect with Anil at:@anildash@glitchdotcomwww.anildash.com www.glitch.com Music by Thomas J. Inge

Today’s show is a replay of a conversation I had with Aaron Reynolds back in 2019. Our interview took place in my home office, which really felt like a meeting of friends. Aaron is a humourist, professional speaker, and the man behind the @EffinBirds and @swear_trek Twitter accounts. When he's not on Twitter, you can find him producing a series of podcasts and at ComicCons dressed as George Lucas.Aaron states that his mission in life is “to make social media less of a hellscape, by making it more fun and playful”. We spoke about how we can learn from our passion projects and our pain points, and slowly but surely steer ourselves towards something more sustainable and joy-filled. Get more JOMO at jomocast.com and bonus content at www.patreon.com/jomocast  Check out the new JOMO Goods shop at www.jomogoods.com Connect with Christina here: @thechristinacrookConnect with Aaron at:Twitter: @EffinBirds and @swear_trekMusic by Thomas J. Inge