The UnWoke Show Season 4, Episode 155: ”Gen Z Rebels Against the Algorithm: Why Students Are Asking for Phone Bans”

2026-02-12

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Gen Z was raised on smartphones, social media, and nonstop dopamine. Now they’re doing something no one saw coming: asking for phone bans in schools. In this episode of The UnWoke Show, we break down why students across the country are backing restrictions on phones, rejecting algorithm-driven distraction, and openly admitting what adults refused to confront for years. This isn’t about obedience or authority. It’s about attention, mental health, focus, and a generation quietly rebelling against the systems designed to keep them hooke...

Gen Z was raised on smartphones, social media, and nonstop dopamine. Now they’re doing something no one saw coming: asking for phone bans in schools.

In this episode of The UnWoke Show, we break down why students across the country are backing restrictions on phones, rejecting algorithm-driven distraction, and openly admitting what adults refused to confront for years. This isn’t about obedience or authority. It’s about attention, mental health, focus, and a generation quietly rebelling against the systems designed to keep them hooked.

While politicians argue and tech companies deflect blame, Gen Z is making a radical move: choosing boredom, presence, and real connection over endless scrolling. The result is better learning, stronger social ties, and an uncomfortable truth for parents, schools, and Silicon Valley alike.

This episode cuts through the culture-war noise to ask the real question:
Why are the kids fixing a problem the adults created and refused to solve?

If you want to understand the future of education, technology, and generational power, this conversation matters.

Show Notes

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/about-4-in-10-teens-support-cellphone-bans-in-classrooms-fewer-back-all-day-restrictions/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/study-98-teens-school-cellphone-183000797.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw7NWZr7P4U

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Podcast links

https://theunwokeshow.podbean.com/

https://open.spotify.com/show/27rkGZYhccSF8stUzzGxaI

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unwoke-show/id1686015698