This outpouring of legislation communicates a dire problem that educators are facing nation-wide, but do these policies work in favor of safety?
Modern problems require modern solutions–or rather, modern solutions create novel problems. This is certainly the case when it comes to cell phone use by students at school, which has recently ignited a nation-wide debate between families and school leadership, resulting in lawmakers bringing the matter under consideration. With school districts as large as Los Angeles school district and states like New York and California considering state-wide restrictions on cell phone use during school hours, it’s important that we consider both options under the scope of safety. Through research into adolescent psychology, cell phone use data, and the experiences of those involved in critical response, we can identify the role cell phones play in student safety, or if they just provide an illusion of safety. This exploration also aims to find a compromise that can be both a solution for both educators, administrators, students and parents.
Generally, the opinions surrounding cell phones in class room depend on which side of the teacher’s desk one sits on, with students and parents wanting continuous access to their cell phones, while teachers and administrators are at their wit’s end with the constant distractions caused by them.
A report issued by the U.S Surgeon General stated that U.S. adolescents aged 12–15 who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety. In a post-COVID-19 America, 16.3% to 66.4% of children report spending 4 or more hours a day on their smartphones. A classroom cell phone ban may be more than a way to rid the classroom of constant distractions; it could also help limit the compounding mental health effects of social media use, which are the second most common reason for smartphone use among adolescents.
Teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to divert their classrooms’ attention away from phones, back towards the lesson. A study by Common Sense Media found that teenagers receive a median of 273 notifications per day. Notably, nearly a quarter of these notifications occur during school hours. Unsurprisingly, teachers unions across the country are leading the charge against cell phones in classrooms. According to the Pew Research Center, a large majority (72%) of teachers report cell phone distractions as a significant issue in their classrooms.
“Any time a student would be asked to put them up would be an issue. Being able to have outside communication with peers outside our school during school hours would have our students, especially our high school students acting out,” said Becky Carr, a teacher at a Pennsylvania school. “Boys trying to show off and girls only focusing on getting their male counterparts attention—even being able to listen to certain types of music can escalate our students’ behaviors.”
With Pew research reporting 95% of teens now owning a smartphone, students are being distracted by more than text messaging. Teachers around the country are reporting that students are busy shopping online, listening to music, scrolling through social media feeds, watching live streams, and engaging in countless other distractions that take their attention away from the lesson. These distractions are proving to take a measurable toll on students. Plummeting U.S. math and reading scores, coupled with surveys showing a concerning rise in student behavioral problems, paint a stark picture: educators are desperate to regain control of their classrooms, and cell phones are at the center of the problem. Associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Michael Rich, told The Harvard Gazette that phones and school simply don't mix; students can’t meaningfully absorb information while being constantly distracted: “The human brain is incapable of thinking more than one thing at a time,” he said. “And so what we think of as multitasking is actually rapid-switch-tasking. And the problem with that is that switch-tasking may cover a lot of ground in terms of different subjects, but it doesn’t go deeply into any of them.”
For many educators and decision makers, the answer is simple: ban cell phone use during class. Indiana and Ohio have passed laws restricting cell phone use in classrooms, with Oklahoma, Florida, New York, California, Washington, Kansas, Vermont, and Connecticut currently considering similar legislation. Outside of state legislation, even more school districts are taking it upon themselves to set cell phone restrictions in their schools.
This outpouring of legislation communicates a dire problem that educators are facing nation-wide, but do these policies work in favor of safety? Many students feel safer having a direct line of communication to their parents during school hours. Evan, a middle schooler in northwest Indiana said, “I do feel safer in class with my phone on me because if I need my dad or my mom, I can contact them faster and keep them informed on what's going on.”
While feeling safe at school is an integral part of student wellness, true safety is more than a feeling or a perception. Some argue that students managed to be safe at school long before cellphone technology was available, and that these devices can do little to aid in the heat of an emergency. Recalling past interactions with parents, veteran school resource officer Dr. Beth Sanborn said, “When I have expressed concerns to parents regarding their child’s cell phone use, I was often met with ‘my kid needs to be able to call me in case of an emergency.’ Yet no one could articulate further as to what they would do in such an emergency.” Aside from being used to report an emergency or reunite with parents, cell phones in students' hands do little to help during a crisis. However, we are living in unprecedented times, with more frequent, more deadly school shootings. Perpetrators of these shootings are using more sophisticated firearms, using technology to communicate threats, and using technology to procure information about their targets–should students be afforded the ability to utilize the same technology during an active shooting?
During the 2013 shooting at Arapahoe High School in Colorado, students used their cell phones to contact their parents as they hid in place. Some students shared their cell phones with others so they could contact their parents, others used their cell phones to check in on siblings sheltering in other areas of the school. While having these devices didn’t have an effect on their immediate safety, it certainly had an impact on the wellness of the school community during a crisis.
“From an emergency response background I always say that first responders and individuals involved in a critical incident starve for information,” says critical response expert, James Dunleavy. “On its face, I would say that if the students had the ability to communicate life saving information with their cell phones then they should have them.” Dunleavy does however agree that a degree of nuance should be applied to students having cell phone access at school: “But we all know the chaos that takes place in our nation's schools on a daily basis has nothing to do with emergency response…As many blanket remedies, there is too much disparity in the cell phone as an issue across districts, counties and states. Cell phone usage in schools should be a policy that is managed by the district or school and should be unique to what they are experiencing.”
State-wide bans may not be considering the needs of different school communities, but many schools have found solutions that are showing promising results. A middle school in Connecticut found success in students placing their cell phones in pouches with a lock, which are stored away during class hours. These pouches, created by Yondr, allow students to use their cell phones in approved spaces by touching the pouch to a magnetic base, giving them access to their devices. Finding solutions that limit cell phone usage during class, but allow students to use them between classes, free periods and other appropriate times can be the compromise that schools are looking for.
While any changes in cell phone use are going to be met with pushback from students, many students feel positive about the implementation of cell phone pouches, like Yondr, or similar products. On the recent implementation of Yondr pouches at her school, Junior Allie Hixon told The Akron Journal, “I didn't have to deal with all the drama…I feel like I'm more engaged in my classes."
The classroom environment has shifted considerably in the last decade. With the advent of smartphones and the behavioral and academic issues compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the teaching profession has never been so taxing. Schools are becoming critically understaffed as unsatisfied teachers are leaving the profession in droves. Pew Research shows as of 2023, about 30% of teachers plan to look for a new job in the next year, and 40% of those are planning to leave education altogether. While other factors such as pay and access to resources play a large role in this exodus, we need to be focused on solutions that give teachers the power to teach effectively–otherwise, academic performance and behavioral health will continue to drop. Solutions to cell phone use at school should also consider the undeniable burden of fear of violence that most, if not all, U.S. students carry, and having that line of communication to their parents or guardians available can make a world of difference in student wellness. Solutions that allow students to access their phones when appropriate, outside of class time, should be considered in all educational settings.
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