With nothing but a book "without pictures or conversations" to entertain her, Alice's mind wanders, setting the stage for a fantastical exploration of a world beyond the mundane. It's in this moment of boredom that Alice's true adventure begins: croquet with flamingos, changing size and meeting the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and the Duchess and her pig-baby. 

Indirectly this reminds us that sometimes, it is precisely the lack of easy engagement that sparks the greatest adventures and prompts us to meet the interesting people around us. I worry that the modern-day Alice would have been too engrossed in TikTok on her sister’s smartphone to have an adventure in wonderland.  

Social media’s constant invitations to engage, and unrelenting demands for comparison cause me genuine concern for our young people, especially girls. Although we have a partial ban in place, this week we were keen to see the effects of a totally mobile free environment on our Senior School students. Rather than make the experience one of absence we sought to provide all our students with real-world experiences that encourage genuine interaction. We are very grateful for our Pastoral team for organising and supporting these simple, fun and old-fashioned activities that opened doors to new friendships and rekindled older ones. They painted nails, played table tennis and walked through the local countryside, embracing the shared experience and even the occasional moments of boredom.

This initiative shed light on our older students’ varying dependencies on social media. Some have told me they found it difficult to let go of their screens, which was concerning, yet many embraced the change with ease. The overall increase in face-to-face interactions and the engagement with the variety of activities offered significant benefits, enhancing both social skills and emotional well-being across the board.

The positive outcomes from our phone-free week have informed our thoughts as we revisit our phone policy. We will carefully review our findings and communicate updates before the term ends. 

Alice remarks ‘It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then’. Here, I beg to differ. Technology is here to stay, but reclaiming simplicity in our lives is surely the path to a more peaceful existence.