COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) — As budget season unfolds, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE) is prioritizing student mental health and academic success in its funding proposal. This year, their request includes a substantial allocation of over $17 million aimed at launching a digital wellness program for students attending public and charter schools statewide.

This initiative is a response to growing concerns over the impact of screen time on children, as highlighted by Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. The department’s proposal underscores the urgent need to mitigate the negative consequences of excessive technology use.

According to research referenced by the SCDOE, heavy screen usage, particularly beyond school hours, can impede brain development, diminish attention spans, and negatively affect essential social skills children require for success in life.

Within South Carolina classrooms, educators report a noticeable connection between these digital habits and increased challenges, such as frequent absences, difficulty concentrating, heightened anxiety levels, and behavioral issues.

Education officials said the effects are visible in South Carolina classrooms through chronic absenteeism, poor focus, rising anxiety, and behavioral challenges.

Weaver said she believes the issue has approached a critical point.

“We don’t have to give up and say technology is here and there’s nothing we can do about it,” she said. “We can make a difference and return our students to a play-based childhood instead of a screen-based childhood.”

According to the department, evidence suggests screen overuse is a significant contributor to the student mental health crisis facing schools nationwide.

While parents and teachers often see the impact firsthand, leaders explained that families lack access to clear, science-based guidance on how to address the issue.

Weaver argued that proactive education about the brain and the science of technology use can help both students and parents make healthier choices, improve attention spans, and strengthen relationships that support learning.

If approved, the state would partner with ScreenStrong, a nationally recognized nonprofit that provides research-backed curriculum designed to help students and families build healthy screen habits.

Founder Melanie Hempe started the organization after her son’s gaming addiction led to him dropping out of college. She said families are often overwhelmed by conflicting messages about screen time.

“We help unpack this in a very simplified way,” Hempe said. “Once families understand the science, it becomes much easier to make good decisions for their kids.”

She explained that ScreenStrong offers programs and materials designed to educate teachers, students and parents.

“This isn’t full of opinions,” Hempe said. “That was my frustration as a parent. We’ve taken the confusion out and brought it back to the science.”

Under the proposal, students would receive age-appropriate instruction on how smartphones, screens and social media affect brain development, attention, relationships, and academic success.

Additionally, the initiative would also build on the state’s Free to Focus policy, which limits cell phone use during the school day through extending digital wellness education beyond the classroom.

The program, if approved, would educate all third through eighth-grade students in its first year. In the following years, the initiative would continue by working with third grade and sixth-grade students annually.

The plan would provide materials for nearly 123,977 third through fifth-grade students, including “The Adventures of Super Brain” book and coordinating materials, and 179,204 sixth through eighth-grade students would receive “Kids’ Brains & Screens,” a 285-page full-color student book.

Additional engagement supplies, like classroom activities, stickers, and incentives, are also included.

The General Assembly will review budget requests when they return to legislative session in January.