Weber High School lacrosse team gives up social media, builds stronger bonds

PLEASANT VIEW — If a team needs to work together better, interruptions to those personal connections can get in the way. That is in part how coach Randy Allred decided to approach his team with a no social media challenge. "In the book Atomic Habits, it talked about the British cycling team and how they were kind of the laughing stock of the stock of the Olympics," Allred explained. "And, (the coach) looked for ways to get 1% better and just little things from the uniforms they wore to the wind dragged to the pillows they slept on." Allred thought social media might be a good place to start. It doesn't hurt that he's not a fan of the platforms either. "We had some kids that were averaging ten hours a day on their screen time," he said. "A large part of that being on social media." All of the 46 team members committed to the plan— giving up social media 0n their phones for the duration of the season. Troomi, an Utah-based company donated the temporary plans on the phones, secured with parental controls. However, many of the team members were not thrilled with the idea. "I was like, 'oh, man, it's gonna suck,'" Gib Lowe, a senior recalled. "I thought I'd be disconnected, was like, my main reason. but not in the slightest. I feel exactly the same as I did before." Case Bailey, another senior agreed. "definitely more connected to, like, friends and hanging out like when we were hanging out. None of us are on our phones." As other teammates started to step away from the small screens, they noticed more about the world around them.

"We kind of just, like actually go outside instead of just sitting on a couch and just scrolling, Freshman Isaac Keyes said. "I feel like every day is just like a new adventure now. It's really fun."

"Started realizing like, Utah is like a pretty legit place,” Freshman Stockton Allred added. “We live right next to the mountains. We could do all kinds of fun stuff. It's awesome."

The team is also running the effort as a fundraiser. People can donate to their No Social Media A-Thon, which will go towards supplies and general expenses.

Allred admits it’s likely that at least some of the team members are getting on social media in other ways. Still, he believes the reduced time online is making a difference.

"We're just connecting as human beings, and our team chemistry has gone through the roof,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun."

Related: More than a third of teens say they spend too much time on their phones, new study finds

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