OUR RESEARCH
The project
The Pymble Institute designed a research program to collect data in the first year of the initiative. We asked questions in online surveys which were given to students and parents in Years 4 to 8. These included questions about the phones students were using, reasons for their choice, social media and internet usage, amount of sleep, relationships with friends, management of schoolwork, and time spent on homework and other activities. We also conducted focus groups and individual interviews with staff and collected data from activities teachers were running with their classes.
What role does a school play in students’ mobile phone use?
Phone usage in school was once considered part of the technology program and smartphones were considered learning devices and promoted as a tool for mobile learning. While there can be benefits for student learning through phones, including as creative, communication devices, more recent concern around mental health predominate. Issues of concern include anxiety, addiction, erosion of physical health, sleep and withdrawal from social interaction.
For some decades now, schools have been experiencing the core challenge of how devices are managed at home, at school and in the in between spaces. Phones impact behaviour and mental health in both face to face and online environments but schools have traditionally had no voice in phone choice. Parents decide which, if any, phone to provide for their children, but schools and teachers often need to manage the issues that arise. These can be complex and sometimes very serious.
Guidelines for parents around recommended screen hours exist but they can be difficult to implement. For many children, phones have been part of their early years as calming devices which has established an ingrained pattern of behaviour and expectations. The Australian e-Safety Commissioner recommends children start with a mobile phone without internet access and move to a smartphone when they’re more mature. Schools recognise that the advice around these areas is understood by parents but is extremely difficult to establish in household routines.
The Pymble Ladies’ College approach to developing the Wise Phone Initiative evolved in the context of recognising the pressures parents were experiencing, listening to the needs of students and seeing concerning trends around student wellbeing which had a relationship to mobile phones, social media and open, internet access from their pocket.
Phone choices
The findings reveal younger students have a higher take up and commitment to using the Wise Phone. This finding was to be expected as phone choices are more firmly set as children get older. Younger students appreciated the additional layer of protection the College-managed device afforded. For some younger students, without the option of the Wise Phone, parents would not have permitted them to get a phone - so for these students, the phone represented independence and trust in their relationships with their parents.
In the first year of the initiative, we learnt many students maintained two phones – the College-provided Wise Phone and their pre-existing device. They sometimes switched between the two, using the Wise Phone when they wanted to communicate with their parents enroute to and from school, or when they
wanted to concentrate on homework without distraction. Students and parents recognised pre-existing phones, with full internet access, allowed students to use social media apps for fun, for communication with friends and grandparents, and for the convenience of having all family members on the same platform. The initiative took these aspects into account when designing for the second year of the program.
Sleep
Our research shows that sleep can be improved through phone management, including use of the Wise Phone. In 2025 and 2026, in parallel with the Wise Phone Initiative, the College is working on improving sleep, nutrition and exercise for all students as part of our wellbeing program. Results from this initiative are now transferring to to other wellbeing initiatives within the College. While the descriptive results, seen in Table 1, highlight differences in reported sleep by phone type across the survey waves, further analysis indicates that patterns in sleep may also reflect differences in year level and broader wellbeing initiatives occurring during the study period.
Table 1: Students who got recommended sleep per night by phone type *
Activities
Across 2025, data showed a consistent shift away from digital screen time toward more active and social pursuits, including reading. At the start of the study, we saw a decrease in time spent on phones, social media and online gaming, and an increase on time spent with friends and on hobbies. This trend continued and we saw sustained increases in time spent with family, sleeping, playing outdoors, and reading throughout all three phases of the study. From an educational perspective, we were highly encouraged by seeing students shift from virtual activities to those which supported personal wellbeing and face-to-face interactions.
Supporting parents
The Wise Phone Initiative supports parents to set boundaries and manage online risks, and College counsellors and wellbeing staff are benefiting from working with parents and students who now have a tool to reduce phone addiction. Staff in the Junior School note a lessening of online incidents, likely due to less open, unrestricted student access to the internet and an increase in education for digital skills and safety relating to phones.
The Australian Government’s well-publicised social media delay was introduced at the end of the first year of the Wise Phone Initiative. This new law for Australian children under the age of 16 casts more light on the ways children and young adolescents access social media and highlights the benefits of delaying or restricting access. A mobile phone that does not allow access to social media apps, but that has all the other key functions a child needs, can be an ideal solution.
39%
Reclaiming the day: Impact of the Pymble Wise Phone on student time
RECLAIMING TIME FROM DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS
Reduction in social media use
The largest reported decrease in time spent on phones and social media
26% Cutting “other device” usage
Over 26% of users noted a reduction in time spent on secondary electronic devices
35%
Decrease in online gaming
Users reported a significant drop in time dedicated to gaming sessions
INVESTING IN WELLBEING AND CONNECTION
25%
Growth in personal hobbies
26%
Increase in outdoor activity
Students reported spending more time playing outdoors and participating in sports
A quarter of students shfted their focus to developing new or existing hobbies
More time for reading and family
Signficant gains were reported in leisure reading and quality time with family members
Using research for decision making
The Pymble team made adjustments to the program following the first year of the initiative. Technical changes now include a bring-your-own-phone model where students’ preferred handsets (including iPhones) are onboarded to the Pymble platform. We are committed to meeting the needs of families and adapting the program as technology develops. The essence of the program, however, remains the same;
• Select Android devices are available from the College free of charge
• The College selects and manages appropriate apps and features on the phone and these are customised for the student’s age
• IT support is available
• Wise Phone education and support available for parents
Parent and student education program
Launch Event wellbeing and mental health information, commitments from parents to their daughters on spending quality time together, a celebration of accepting their new phone.
Year 7 Orientation
Joint sessions for new students and parents focusing on strategies for starting well in secondary school
Online Parent Information Sessions
Session 1 College Leaders Q&A Panels
Session 3 Understanding Adolescent Behaviours
Session 2 Tips for Phone Management
Session 4 Navigating Wellbeing Needs
Student information sessions Navigating specific phone features and giving feedback on usage
Multi-channel Feedback Loop
Utilising formal research methodologies, engaging in informal discussions, maintaining an open door policy to share experiences
Joint family focus
ZONE 1: THE IGNITION PHASE
ZONE 2: PARALLEL EDUCATION TRACKS
ZONE 3:
What our parents are saying about the initiative
“It’s a good initiative as our purpose of being in touch with her after school, as she waits for us at the train station, is served. She is also restricted from social media apps so we have nothing to worry about, even if she has a phone.” (Year 5 parent)
“I am supportive of the school’s initiatives to help the girls navigate the risks of social media while they are still young and impressionable.” (Year 7 parent)
“I was afraid that she would ask to be on social media because her friends are there. Now that all the girls use Wise Phones, I’m relieved.” (Year 5 parent)
“[My daughter] did not previously have a phone but it was made available by the school so thought we would trial it.” (Year 6 parent)
What did we learn about how our students use mobile phones?
Across all phone types, the Pymble Wise Phone group were the largest group across Years 4 to 7. The younger students in the program (Years 4 to 5) were more likely to be users of the Wise Phone and older students more likely to transition to, or back to, smartphones. Looking to the future, we can see behavioural change starting at this age- and earlier- as parents come to know of the College’s program and let their daughters know the Wise Phone will be her first first phone at Pymble
Table 2: Time spent on the phone by students on school days (by phone type)
Our research revealed how much time students spend on the phone on school days. We broke this down by phone type and results showed Wise Phone users spending much less time on their phones on school days than smartphone users.
Focusing on school work could be made easier with a Wise Phone. We found that students using smartphones reported more difficulties in their capacity to manage their schoolwork in comparison with those who reported not using a phone, or who reported using a Wise Phone.
In the area of friendships, we learnt how important phones are for communication for Year 7-8 students. Students with smartphones reported slightly higher peer relationship satisfaction scores than other phone type users. This is an area for further study as it made the salient point that phones are an integral part of the communication landscape of young adolescents.
The Pymble Wise Phone Initiative has brought a change into the lives of our students and they’ve been involved in the pilot of a completely new way to manage their digital lives. In summary, students responded with a mixture of appreciation for being kept safe and feeling some frustration at not having as much personal autonomy over their technology.
In the first year of the program, we placed student feedback at the centre of our approach and designed ways to capture student voice:
• Year 6 students held a successful ‘pitch’ for a music streaming app to be included on their phones. This was an inclusive and empowering way for students to suggest a change to the apps available and for staff to give feedback on ways this could work, with student safety and responsibility in the spotlight.
• Year 5 Maths students were part of a social labs research project where they developed their own mathematical research using quantitative methods to conduct research into phone choice and use with their parents and classmates.
Student comments about why they became part of the Wise Phone program:
“Sometimes I feel as though I need a break from the iphone and the Wise Phone is a good break where I can still communicate, pay for things and track transport in emergencies.”
“Because it was free and my parents want to restrict my social medias and screen time usage.”
We also paired our Wise Phones research with research into our Year 9 outdoor education program at Vision Valley. Following this month-long residential program where students are completely technologyfree, students reflected on their dependence on devices:
“I didn’t realise the hold that my phone or that technology had over me.”
“I didn’t realise I could go without [my phone] and actually feel really good.“
What did teachers, boarding staff, counsellors and school leaders learn from the initiative?
HEAD OF WELLBEING K-6
“This time last year, I was dealing with far more significant things with social media, group chats, which I have not had this year since the introduction of the Wise Phone.“
HEAD OF YEAR 6
“There is more responsibility around Year 6 students’ use of the phone, how they conduct themselves through messages...there is a lot more conversation around why (Wise Phones) was brought in; the effects of social media on their mental health. That’s been really valuable, the teaching moments about the ‘why’.”
JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER
“Students are increasingly ‘aware of the pitfalls of technology’ and are aiming for the goal of ‘having a balance’.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADER
When meeting prospective parents, the Middle School leader makes a point to talk about the Wise Phone Initiative. She notes, “It’s very well received... they’re very excited, many of them nod and know about it... they certainly are very impressed with the concept of the initiative.“
HEAD OF YEAR 8
“We give parents parameters and ideas on how they can enforce phone restrictions and a lot of it is education like, ‘You can tell your daughter the phone can’t go in her back pocket, or it has to be put down at the dinner table.’”
COUNSELLOR
“While there has not yet been a direct change in counselling referral statistics, the impact of the initiative is the ability to provide parents with a practical tool during meetings. Previously, staff could only offer general principles or website recommendations for healthy tech use; now, they can directly ask parents if they have considered the Wise Phone program.”
NEXT STEPS IN THE PYMBLE WISE PHONE INITIATIVE
What learnings are we taking from the first year of the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative to continue improving the program?
Continuing to monitor a sustained reduction in cyberbullying and phonerelated incidents
One of the most significant and consistent findings across the full 18 months of the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative is a marked decline in cyberbullying cases and phone-related incidents. Anecdotal evidence from wellbeing leaders in the College suggests that owning and using a Wise Phone is contributing to meaningful behavioural change in our students.
Our wellbeing staff continue to observe a substantial reduction in group chat incidents — both within our own school community and across multi-school chats — which have historically caused conflict, exclusion and escalation. Since the introduction of the Wise Phone, the College has recorded no instances of students posting inappropriate content on social media accounts and this is content that previously created risk and reputational impact for individual students and groups. This is one of the strongest indicators of the Pymble Wise Phone’s protective effect.
Improvement in student interaction and behaviour is also being observed by teachers and wellbeing leaders in students’ everyday interactions. Phone-related detentions and confiscations have reduced dramatically and staff consistently report that students with Pymble Wise Phones are much less likely to be involved in negative situations, requiring less staff intervention. Overall, this has had a positive effect on student wellbeing, staff workload and student-parent-staff relationships.
Building adoption rates
Across the year groups covered by the initiative, Wise Phone adoption is running at approximately 50%. As this is a voluntary program, this is a pleasing level but one we aim to improve. Through adopting a community-connected model, we are prioritising family awareness, commitment, shared values and support, rather than rules and compliance. Our strategies to build Wise Phone adoption includes students preparing to enter the College. We are continuing to bolster student awareness of the role of mobile phones and ways of living more healthily with technology.
Understanding the connection between phone choice and student behaviour
Our wellbeing staff have observed a notable connection between students who are on the Pymble Wise Phone program and students who demonstrate positive conduct and engagement at school. The inverse is also being observed: students demonstrating behavioural concerns are more frequently in the smartphone-only group. The decision to participate in the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative is an expression of parental engagement and wellbeing awareness and it is reasonable to expect these qualities will influence student behaviour more broadly.
At this stage, this anecdotal observation has not been formally researched but it reflects a pattern in the research literature where parenting decisions, phone choices and student behaviour intersect. We are continuing to improve how we communicate with families as the initiative is only one element of the College’s digital strategy and child-safe approach.
Parents and their decisions around participating in the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative
A recurring theme in anecdotal evidence from wellbeing leaders over the first 18 months of the initiative could be described as parental guilt in the context of phone-related incidents. When a student has made an error of judgement involving her phone, parents comment that the incident would not have occurred had their daughter been on a Pymble Wise Phone. This honest and vulnerable acknowledgement reflects growing awareness amongst parents of the relationship between device type and risk exposure. It also points to the complexity of parents’ decision making around phones. College wellbeing staff acknowledge that parents have a desire to protect their child, but also look for convenience in device choice and can experience social pressure to provide a smartphone. Our goal is to continue to support parents without blame and to provide positive education around Pymble Wise Phone uptake and continuance.
FURTHER DETAILS
For further information on research by the Pymble Insitute
Visit our website pymblelc.nsw.edu.au/pymble-institute
Email us at pymbleinstitute@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Pymble
Wise Phone Initiative research reports
The first report provides insights into students’ phone usage patterns and impacts phones have on sleep, friendships, school work and physical exercise. This report is the first generated from data collected from students and parents in early 2025.
Download here: https://issuu.com/pymbleladiescollege/docs/pymble_wise_phone_initiative_analysis_of_ student_?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw
The second report is based on data collected midway through the pilot year. It confirms continued positive impacts on sleep among Pymble Wise Phone users.
Download here: https://issuu.com/pymbleladiescollege/docs/2025_pi_research-report_wise-phones2_1v3?fr=xIAEoAT3_MzMz
References
Loch, S., Adamovich, V., & Sae-Koew, J. (2025). Pymble Wise Phone initiative: Analysis of student and parent data, Phase 1 – February 2025. Pymble Ladies’ College.
Loch, S., Adamovich, V., & Sae-Koew, J. (2025). Pymble Wise Phone initiative: Analysis of student and parent data, Phase 2 – June 2025. Pymble Ladies’ College.
Loch, S., Adamovich, V., & Sae-Koew, J. (2025). Pymble Wise Phone initiative: Analysis of student and parent data, Phase 3 – November 2025. Pymble Ladies’ College.
The authors acknowledge the support of Pymble Ladies’ College community in researching and sharing the Wise Phones research, especially the students and parents of Years 4 to 8 2025 and staff of the Junior and Middle Schools.
