Editor’s Note: To watch the full discussion about cellphones, students and schools on “Raising America,” click here.
More and more U.S. students will be entering cellphone-free zones this year as states and school districts have implemented restrictions either in the classroom or the moment a child enters the building.
Increased punishments, Yondr pouches and teacher collection baskets are just some of the ways school leaders have tried to reduce phone access, arguing they are a distraction and stymie social and academic growth.
While the number of schools taking action has quickly risen across the country, opponents voice objections including personal freedom for students and safety concerns in an emergency.
Here’s what to know:
Where are cellphone bans happening?
At least 22 states have signed legislation regarding cellphone policies in K-12 schools, while some districts or schools have also acted on their own.
But not all the restrictions look the same.
States such as New York and Arkansas have implemented bell-to-bell cellphone bans, meaning students lack access to their phones the whole school day. Others including Kentucky and Tennessee have implemented instructional time bans, allowing students their phones between classes or at lunch.
“New York was the first state to target addictive social media feeds — and now we’re the largest state to restrict smartphones in schools throughout the entire school day,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said. “I know our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and that’s why New York continues to lead the nation on protecting our kids in the digital age.”
California and Arizona have laws requiring schools to create guidance around cellphone usage, and almost a dozen other states are considering legislation around cellphones in schools.
It is hard to know the exact number of schools that have cellphone bans as even states without restrictions on the books let individuals school districts decide if they want to enact strict bell-to-bell bans.
How are the policies implemented?
Implementation of cellphone restrictions vary by district.
The strictest districts have taken to using some version of a Yondr bag, a container that students must put their phones in at the beginning of the day that locks it inside. At the end of the day, there is a device on which students can scan the bags, and the phones are released.
But not all districts have the resources to invest in hard prevention methods, with some opting for teachers to collect phones either at the beginning of the day or before class starts.
Other responses have been as simple as increasing punishments if a student is caught with a cellphone, such as taking the phone or detention.
What pushed the surge in cellphone bans?
A combination of factors led to a sweeping push to get phones out of young students’ hands.
The Wait Until 8th campaign wants parents to pledge they won’t give their children cellphones under after eighth grade, hoping it will take societal pressure off others to give younger students cellphones.
“Parents can join together with other parents in their community and let kids be kids a little longer,” Mark SooHoo, an organizer for Wait Until 8th, told The Hill’s “Raising America,” which he joined for a discussion on the debate over cellphones and schools.
Studies have emerged showing decreased academic performance and social interaction among children with increased cellphone usage.
Reliance on cellphones has also created trouble in the classroom as teachers compete for student attention with the screens, along with concerns students could cheat or bully others with their devices.
What is the opposition to cellphone bans?
One of the main concerns for parents is lack of access to their children, especially during emergency events such as school shootings.
Another is personal freedom, as students and some parents argue schools should not be able to take away devices they have not paid for, and it should be up to s’ decision.
While some have suggested students could have Apple Watches or other devices that give more limited access to texting capabilities, economic concerns also come into play.
“One thing I would also like to point out [is] there are economic differences,” Annette Anderson, deputy director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, told “Raising America’s” Elizabeth Prann during the aforementioned discussion.
Higher-income students “probably have a tablet, they probably have a laptop,” while others “have a higher degree of reliance on their smartphones.”
“There is some dissonance in how these cellphone bans are applied” between wealthier and poorer schools, she added.
Others suggest schools should be the place where students learn how to be more responsible with their technology, and teachers should be giving instructions on how to make phones an asset and not a detriment in life.
“We need more civility and teaching digital character education,” Anderson said.
What’s next?
More cellphone bans, likely.
As more and more states move on cellphone ban legislation, it is unlikely to see the trend reversed.
The real story will be in a few years when data and stories from school districts with cellphone bans emerge and the impact of students’ academic and social performance is seen.
This experiment could shape the future of K-12 classrooms at a time when the world is becoming more reliant on technology in the workforce.
