The following is a press release written by Arthur Menchaca for Ivy Tech Bloomington.
As Indiana schools adjust to restrictions on student cell phone use, a group of Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington students is taking the conversation beyond simply putting phones away.
Members of the Alpha Rho Sigma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society have developed Connect Phone-Free, a free online toolkit designed to help students, families and educators encourage healthier digital habits and strengthen face-to-face connections.
The project grew from the chapter’s 2026 Honors in Action research into adolescent social media use, identity development, peer relationships and phone-free school environments.
Rather than focusing solely on restricting devices, Alpha Rho Sigma Chapter members asked a broader question: What helps young people reconnect when the phone is no longer at the center of the interaction?
Their research included a review of peer-reviewed academic literature, analysis of adolescent behavioral health data, examination of student-device policies in Indiana and other states, and structured interviews with Indiana educators and administrators about their experiences preparing for or implementing phone restrictions.
The students found that the issue extends beyond classroom distraction. Their research explored connections among digital environments, identity formation, social interaction and adolescent well-being while recognizing that population-level data cannot by itself establish that social media causes individual behavioral health outcomes.
Indiana data helped provide local context. According to state youth behavioral health data examined by the chapter, 47% of Indiana high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, while 25.2% reported seriously considering suicide. The chapter also examined electronic bullying, in-person bullying and other indicators alongside research into how adolescents experience digital environments.
Those findings helped inspire Connect Phone-Free, which turns the chapter’s research into practical resources rather than leaving it in an academic report.
The website includes separate toolkits for educators, families and students, with activities and resources designed to encourage reflection on digital habits, online identity, communication and authentic peer interaction. Resources can be used online or downloaded for use in classrooms and at home.
The project is especially timely as Indiana schools continue implementing statewide requirements governing student wireless device use during instructional time. The students designed Connect Phone-Free to complement those efforts by focusing on what can happen alongside phone restrictions: conversation, connection, reflection and healthier relationships with technology.
Connect Phone-Free was developed as the Alpha Rho Sigma Chapter’s Phi Theta Kappa Honors in Action project, a program that challenges community college honor students to investigate a real-world issue through academic research and use what they learn to create meaningful action in their communities.
The chapter hopes the project can serve not only Bloomington and Monroe County but educators, families and students throughout Indiana who are navigating changing expectations surrounding phones and social media.
Connect Phone-Free is available free at:
https://connectphonefree.org
About Alpha Rho Sigma
Alpha Rho Sigma is the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington. Phi Theta Kappa recognizes academic achievement among community college students and provides opportunities for scholarship, leadership, service and academic inquiry.
