The Push to Ban Student Phones in Schools
As the new school year gets underway, more and more states are enacting policies—like the recent laws in Indiana and Louisiana—designed to cut down on classroom distractions for students by, effectively, curtailing student cell phone use. It is only the latest response to what many teachers consider a fundamental and pervasive threat to learning; more than 70 percent of high school teachers in a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center considered student phones to be a “major problem.”.
Why is it just now that schools are cracking down on smartphones?
Cell phones have become a major concern in schools. Not only does it aggravate the app that students use most frequently — such as Snapchat, Tiktok, and Instagram — when they are in their lessons, but it also contributes to cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and, worst of all, spreading video footage of physical attacks on classmates. Of course, states now are pushing this further. They’re sort of this new bipartisan- bipartisanship effort to come at the phone, the cell phone use, during school-day hours, with at least eight states this year having passed laws, issued orders, or adopted a rule to curb cell phone use by students.
Studies have shown that the incessant texting and web alerts interfere with a student’s focus and attenuate the learning process. And then there’s the issue of “nomophobia,” the fear of not having their phone, which further complicates a student’s ability to concentrate. States aim to cut down on these distractions and limit misuse of technology by restricting phone use.
Do Phone Bans in School Work?
Many teachers say that students seem to concentrate more and are better at working in groups without their phones in the classroom. Bullying over phones and fights over them have also reportedly gone down in some schools. But a larger effect on the whole issue of technology in the classroom could be limited. Students are also often issued laptops or tablets by the school, other sources of distraction that feature easy access to YouTube or video games. And school devices can be used to cyberbully, too—an app like Bark reports that there have been millions of instances since 2019 of school-related cyberbullying, often on platforms like Google Docs and Microsoft Teams.
Where Did the Phone Bans Start?
Florida was one of the first, passing a law this past year that prevents all students from using personal wireless devices — phones, earbuds, whatever — at their schools. The Orange County Public Schools in Orlando take the rule even further, forbidding them from using a phone throughout the school day. The Florida law also requires that schools restrict access on school Wi-Fi to students accessing social media sites and bars TikTok from school devices, unless it is required for an educational purpose that has been directed by their teacher.
How Do Students and Parents Feel About the Bans?
Parental reaction varies: Parents have grown accustomed to texting or calling their children whenever needed and often express opposition to blanket bans of cellphones. In a National Parents Union survey, 70% say it should be banned, but more than half would argue that students should be allowed to use their phones during lunch or recess.
KreativanSays the debate rages on, however, as schools and lawmakers try to negotiate the necessity of focus in the classroom against the reality of both students’ and parents’ expectations during a highly-connected world.