Cartwheel Launches Specialized Screens & Social Media Program for Students Struggling With Digital Stress

Innovative mental health program helps students, K-12 schools, and families address the impact of screens and social media on sleep, mental health, relationships, and school.

• The program addresses growing concerns from school districts and parents about the impact of screens and social media on youth
• Care includes targeted assessment, evidence-based clinical care, and skill building for parents and caregivers
• The launch coincides with new state and federal investments in youth mental health and online safety

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cartwheel, the nation's largest school-centered telehealth provider, today unveiled its Screens & Social Media Program, a specialized clinical program that has been under development since last spring. The program addresses how technology affects students' sleep, mental health, relationships, and engagement at school.

Digital stress has concerned schools, families, and clinicians for years, but it has recently become a national policy priority. Across nearly 400 districts, Cartwheel clinicians have seen troubling patterns escalate: students losing sleep to their phones, conflict with parents over screen time, and social media shaping how kids see themselves and each other.

Rather than treating technology use as a problem in isolation, the program helps mental health clinicians understand its role in each student's life and build the skills for healthier boundaries.

Students receive individual and family therapy from licensed therapists and child psychiatrists on Cartwheel's care team, plus specialized assessments and family support tailored to digital-use challenges. All services require parent or guardian consent and can include:

• Targeted screening and assessment related to screen use and digital stress
• Individual and family therapy to build healthier digital habits
• Optional psychiatric evaluation or medication support for students with more acute anxiety
• Optional caregiver groups offering strategies for reducing conflict and building healthier routines at home

"During my years at Boston Public Schools, I saw how phones and social media could disrupt a student's sleep, their friendships, their ability to sit through a class," said Jillian Kelton, Senior Director at Cartwheel. "What's different about this program is that we don't just tell families to cut back — we assess what's actually happening for that student and build a real treatment plan around it. That's the kind of care schools have been asking for."

The launch comes as youth mental health and online safety draw growing national attention, including a multistate settlement with Meta worth up to $17.1 billion, with states weighing how proceeds can fund related work.

Cartwheel has made social media and screen time a core focus for years. In 2025, it convened a national conversation on phone-free schools with The Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Indiana Secretary Katie Jenner, and this spring launched the "My Amazing Summer" Challenge to get students spending more time offline.

"Technology is part of all of our lives, and helping kids develop a healthy relationship with it takes more than simply limiting screen time," said Juliana Chen, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cartwheel. "We want to understand how screens and social media are affecting each student and help students and families make realistic changes now while building healthier habits."

Screens & Social Media joins Cartwheel's growing portfolio of Care Programs, including School Avoidance and Big Behaviors, Big Feelings.

Across Cartwheel's care model, 58% of students with anxiety achieve full remission, moderate-to-severe depression drops threefold, absences fall 62%, and suspensions among students with prior disciplinary history fall 68%.

Learn more at www.cartwheel.org.

About Cartwheel

Cartwheel is the nation's largest school-centered telehealth provider, partnering with nearly 400 K-12 districts across 16 states. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel provides evidence-based clinical care, including therapy, parent guidance, and psychiatry, and accepts all major insurance, including Medicaid, with free care for uninsured families.

Media Contact: Emily Paisner, Cartwheel Head of Marketing, [email protected] 

SOURCE Cartwheel