Bans on cellphone use in schools are becoming stronger as more states consider policies that are popular with many educators but still face concerns from parents.
New York and New Jersey are the latest states to consider statewide bans aimed at reducing cyberbullying and improving student concentration.
“We're seeing a sharp increase in the movement toward phone-free schools, and we think this trend will continue as more states impose some kind of ban or restriction,” said co-researcher Sabine Pollack. Ta. Founder of the phone-free school movement.
At least eight states, red and blue, have enacted bans or restrictions on cell phones in schools.
Just recently, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (Democratic) said in his State of the State address that he wants to introduce restrictions on cell phone use in all public schools.
“They're fueling an increase in cyberbullying. And they're making it incredibly difficult for our kids to not only learn, but to retain what they've learned. Honestly. Is it any wonder that increased smartphone use coincides with a growing mental health crisis among young people?'' Murphy said.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (Democratic) said she would include the bill in next year's budget proposal. If New York state were to pass such a bill, it would affect the nation's largest school district, with more than 1 million students.
States that restrict cell phones do so in a variety of ways, with some allowing schools to set their own policies and others requiring them to be banned only during school hours. are.
Differences in policy are likely to become a point of contention in the movement.
“Schools should create this policy because schools create their own culture and climate,” said Christy Zareta, principal at Rogers Park Middle School in Connecticut. The junior high school does not allow students to possess mobile phones in the classroom.
“Let the schools decide what to do, unless the state has the funding to provide something else, but there are a lot of things being rolled out by the state that don’t have the funding to back it up. I understand,” Zareta added.
However, some are more demanding.
“I think there is too much flexibility when it comes to these bans,” Pollack said, adding that the group's “recommendation is a bell-to-bell, stay-at-home policy that day.”
Many schools have policies that take away cell phones throughout the day, and some schools use Yondr packets to prevent students from accessing their devices until the end of the day.
Charles Longshore, assistant principal at Dothan Preparatory Academy in Alabama, has his students put their cell phones in a locked box in the classroom during the first period and look at them again at the end of the day, and does not allow them to use their phones during class or in the hallways. I'm making it inaccessible. Or at lunch.
“From the 2022-2023 school year to the final school year, disciplinary actions decreased by 33 percent. And because cell phones weren't a constant distraction, the climate changed almost immediately,” Longshore said. he said.
Some of the reasons educators support the ban are improved concentration and decreased problem behavior.
A Pew Research Center poll in October found that 68% of American adults support banning cell phone use during classes in middle and high schools.
But support for the all-day ban has fallen to 36%, with the majority of opponents saying parents should be able to contact their children when needed.
Parents may be worried about a loss of communication due to emergencies such as school shootings or learning that events such as soccer practice will be delayed.
Others say a day-long ban won't solve many of the problems cell phones cause outside school buildings.
“Banning cell phones does not eliminate the social and emotional problems that students experience in and out of school, which are often a byproduct of social media and group text use. Ban cell phones. “They will still have cell phones at home…and they will bring drama to school,” Zareta said.
The average age of students getting their first cell phone is about 11 years old.
Some hope that school-level bans will also extend to how parents interact with their children's cell phones.
“Schools are usually kind of the leaders in the community and drive a lot of the culture,” Pollack said.
“Also, many parents say that schools force them to give their children cell phones at a certain age, so it is important that schools set this example and reduce their reliance on phones. I think that by restricting and not allowing students to use phones, it gives parents even more power to say, “I don't want my phone.'' Call me for a few more years,” she added.
