Children Reveal the Hidden Costs of Smartphones in Bold PSA

Award-winning director Brendan Gibbons and producer Aaron Rosenbloom have teamed up to write and direct a new PSA for Phone-Free Schools Movement, produced by Station Film. The black-and-white PSA film is stark and dramatic, featuring children ranging in age from 6 to 13 who are on the brink of getting their first smartphones. The spot uses conditional logic – i.e., if 'this,' then 'that' – with the kids stating upfront, “If you give me a smartphone …" then sees them round out their thoughts with frank, unsettling responses about what can happen when you rely too much on technology, especially at an early age.

Phone-Free Schools Movement is a non-profit organisation rooted in one simple, powerful belief: Kids deserve a school day that protects their well-being. Its mission is to help K–12 schools create and implement bell-to-bell phone-free environments where students can focus, connect and grow—without the constant pull of phones and social media.

“We’ve seen the impact phones are having on students’ focus, connection and mental health—and we’ve lived the heartbreak that happens when no one steps in,” said Sabine Polak, co-founder of Phone-Free Schools Movement and a mother of three. “These personal experiences quickly opened our eyes to something bigger: This isn’t just happening in one school. It’s everywhere. And schools have the power to make a real difference.”

New York State plans to implement restrictions on cell phone use in schools K-12 for the 2025-2026 school year. Other states that will ban or restrict cell phone use for the upcoming school year include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

“As a parent and co-founder of the Phone-Free Schools Movement, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be when schools take steps to protect students from the daily distractions of smartphones,” added Mileva Repasky. “This work is deeply personal—it's about giving kids the chance to focus. We started this movement to make real change, and this PSA is a bold, honest reflection of what’s at stake. Our hope is that it empowers more families, schools and lawmakers to stand with us and reimagine what a healthy, focused learning environment can look like.”

The PSA film’s cast is a mix of real people and actors, and locations include upstate New York, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. “You won’t see any palm trees,” co-director Aaron said. “We wanted to create a feeling of suburban Americana so everyone could relate to it.”

Rosenbloom, who has two daughters ages 7 and 10, said while he and his wife are not opposed to a flip phone for calling and texting, they decided to hold off on getting their kids smartphones. “Kids today can’t tolerate being bored. It’s different from what we grew up with where if you were bored, you’d use your imagination and find something to do. We hope that our PSA makes a few parents comfortable with the idea that smartphones have the potential to be dangerous in the hands of a child who doesn’t have a fully formed brain, so it’s OK to wait a little while to get them their first.”

“You can’t help but view what kids go through today through the lens of a different generation,” said Brendan. “How do they do it? The pressure of smartphones and the dual lives young people must lead trying to keep up with everybody else, and all while their minds are still forming. They’re so filled with inconsistencies and uncertainties and an unbelievable amount of pressure.”

The new film drives viewers toward phonefreeschoolsmovement.org—a central hub for advocates, school administrators, and legislators interested in creating phone-free educational environments. The site offers a wealth of resources designed to assist schools in smoothly transitioning to a phone-free setting.

Brendan said, “We know no one can predict what the next 5 years are going to be like. But hopefully there will be a tipping point in the culture where parents think, ‘Whoa, this is not good,” and most states agree, ‘We’re not going to have phones in school.’ From my perspective, I’d like it if this film could help push that ball up the hill.”

Aaron added, “Smartphones tap into our dopamine sources so we reach for them all the time. The reason Brendan and I wanted to make this film is so that we could raise awareness and help prevent this phenomenon from happening to little kids. It will probably take a combination of cultural change and legislation to create change.”

“We’re here for every school, every parent, every community ready to say: ‘Our students deserve better,’” underscored Phone-Free Schools Movement co-founders Sabine and Mileva. “Because this isn’t just about changing policy. It’s about changing what’s possible for the next generation.”