Almost every school in the United States struggles with smartphone use in the classroom. Some argue we should incorporate the technology into lessons since it’s such a vital part of our daily lives, while others argue that youth need a break from the devices and lose valuable class time due to the distractions. It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. Today’s blog is exploring the pros and cons of smartphone bans in school.

How Do Schools Ban Smartphones?

Most schools in the United States have established rules prohibiting cell phone use in class unless the teacher asks the students to use them for an assignment. However, in these schools, the rule is often not actively or consistently enforced across teachers because enforcing a no-cellphone policy generally leads to power struggles between teachers and students. The students frequently complain and break the rules, and many teachers simply give up because they feel like they say, “put your cell phones away” every few minutes.

Some schools have experimented with a strict ban on smartphones – removing cellphones altogether rather than simply relying on rules around their use. One way to do this is with Yondr, a company whose magnetically locking pouches were first used to store cellphones during concerts, theatrical events and professional exams. Schools that have purchased Yondr pouches require students to turn off their phones and place them in their individual Yondr pouches as they enter the school building. They keep their phone pouches on them and then unlock the pouches by tapping them on a magnetic device at the end of each day as they leave school. 

Reasons Teachers Object to Smartphones in Classrooms

Teachers are increasingly finding student cellphone use to be a challenge. Problems with smartphones in classrooms that teachers commonly cite are:

• Power struggles. Teachers having to police phone use during class harms teacher-student relationships. 
• Student distraction. Teachers never have a moment of their students’ full attention if smartphones are present. Even if students have their phone away in their pocket or backpack, it’s constantly buzzing which distracts them every few minutes. Teachers feel like they are talking to the tops of students’ heads, knowing their pupils have got their phone underneath the desk or behind a book.
• Inappropriate behavior. Smartphones encourage cheating, gossip, sharing inappropriate photos, and bullying during class time. In fact, many teens will take photos or videos of unsuspecting peers or teachers during class and then post them on social media with a humiliating comment or angry rant.
• Conflict. Whether another student is annoying them, posting about them, or bullying / intimidating them, teens are constantly in touch with these intense social pressures which can cause friction in the classroom and lead to fights in the school.
• Reduced teaching time. Learning time has significantly declined because teachers spend as much time redirecting students from their phones as they do teaching, and they have to repeat instructions several times per assignment because the kids aren’t listening. Students repeatedly request to go to the restroom and stay out of the class for a long time either to scroll on their phone or because they have used the phone to coordinate a meetup in the restroom with friends.

Students are constantly using their devices in class, despite a rule against it, and social media exacerbates nearly every conflict among students. Teachers want to focus on teaching their students, not fighting for their students’ attention or dealing with every little drama posted on social media. Most teachers are in favor of school-wide bans of cellphones.

Effects of Smartphone Use on Youth

Research and studies are repeatedly showing that social media and frequent smartphone use are impacting American youth in negative ways, including sleep deprivation, lack of attention / focus, as well as depression and anxiety. The U.S. Surgeon General encourages all people – whether young or old – to take frequent breaks from screens to improve both our physical and mental health. The American Psychological Association warns that social media features such as endless scrolling and push notifications are “particularly risky” to young people, whose developing brains are less able to disengage from addictive experiences and are more sensitive to distractions. If you would like to learn more about how you can establish a good balance with technology within your family, please read our previous blog, Reset your Teen’s Relationship to Screens.

Reactions to Bans

While generally celebrated by teachers, these bans have sparked objections from students, some parents, and some community members.

Reasons Students Object to Smartphone Bans. Students are typically angry to lose time on their devices. They consider the bans invasive and paternalistic.

Reasons Critics Object to Smartphone Bans. Critics complain valuable resources are wasted on something that is ineffective. They argue that the pouches are expensive, taking money away from other important needs, and in the end students simply switch to using their laptops for distraction or figure out how to sneak their phones anyway.

Reasons Parents Object to Smartphone Bans. Many parents push back against the bans as well. Parental objections generally fall into these main categories:

• Emergency. Many parents worry about reaching their children in the case of an emergency.
• Health. Parents who have children struggling with anxiety, depression, special needs or other health issues like their children to use their cellphones for a variety of tools, such as listening to music for anxiety or accessing apps for special needs.
• Convenience. Many parents like the convenience of being in touch with their children throughout the day. Some wanted to be able to ask about grades or change after school pickups, for instance.
• Tracking. Some parents like to use phones to track their child’s whereabouts through the day.

Schools respond to these concerns generally by noting that just a few years ago, teens didn’t have phones and families coped fine. In fact, parents can be very distracting to students and contribute to their children’s anxiety with frequent messages, questions and demands. School administrators say that banning phones will actually give kids more space to be independent within a safe environment.

As far as emergencies, safety and plan changes, the schools remind parents that there is at least one landline phone in every classroom and the school office. Students are allowed to use one of the phones if they need to reach their parents, and parents can call anytime with a message for their child. In the worst-case scenario — a school shooting — schools note that students should focus on hiding and staying quiet. Every kid taking out a phone and texting or calling parents is the exact opposite of the safety protocols and could attract a shooter’s attention. And for the few children who rely on their cellphones to manage anxiety or other health issues, the schools can provide other offline tools.

Changes Witnessed by Schools with Complete Phone Bans

Those schools that have successfully implemented a total schoolwide ban of cellphones report several positive changes among students:

• Increased socializing among students, especially at lunch.
• Reduced inappropriate behavior (cheating, sharing inappropriate photos, etc) during class.
• Increased focus, attention, and participation during class lessons.
• Reduced bullying and arguments during school fueled by posts on social media.
• Improved relationships between teachers and students.
• Reduced trips (frequency and length) to restrooms.
• Increased sense of belonging among students.
• Reduced disciplinary referrals such as detentions and suspensions.

Schools with cellphone bans are quick to acknowledge that the system is not foolproof. They are aware that some students keep their phones secretly in their backpack. However, those students are still more hesitant to use their phones which means they are still more engaged and less distracted during the school day.

Schools with bans note that, when asking groups of students about the ban, students are quick to complain about the bans. However, if you ask them individually, many students will admit that they are more focused in class and enjoy the increased socialization among their peers.

Final Thoughts…

If schools believe a complete ban, such as using Yondr pouches, should be considered in their district, it’s very important to roll out the implementation in an authentic and conscientious way. For the ban to be successful, schools must obtain the buy-in of everyone involved by explaining the benefits and goals of the program.