why mobile phones should be banned in schools argumentative essay

Why Schools Should Ban Cell Phones in the Classroom—and Why Parents Have to Help

New study shows it takes a young brain 20 minutes to refocus after using a cell phone in a classroom

Photo by skynesher/iStock

Parents, the next time you are about to send a quick trivial text message to your students while they’re at school—maybe sitting in a classroom—stop. And think about this: it might take them only 10 seconds to respond with a thumbs-up emoji, but their brain will need 20 minutes to refocus on the algebra or history or physics lesson in front of them— 20 minutes .

That was just one of the many findings in a recent report from a 14-country study by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) that prompted this headline in the Washington Post : “Schools should ban smartphones. Parents should help.” The study recommends a ban on smartphones at school for students of all ages, and says the data are unequivocal, showing that countries that enforce restrictions see improved academic performance and less bullying.

It’s a fraught debate, one that prompts frustration among educators, who say students are less focused than ever as schools struggle to enforce cell phone limitation policies, and rage from some parents, worrying about a possible shooting when they can’t get in touch, who insist they need to be able to reach their children at all times. And, perhaps surprisingly, it prompts a collective yawn from students.

In fact, students openly admit their cell phones distract them and that they focus better in school without them, says Joelle Renstrom , a senior lecturer in rhetoric at Boston University’s College of General Studies. It’s an issue she has studied for years. She even performed an experiment with her students that supports what she long suspected: Cell Phones + Classrooms = Bad Learning Environment.

BU Today spoke with Renstrom about the latest study and research.

with Joelle Renstrom

Bu today: let me get right to the point. do we as a society need to be better about restricting cell phones in classrooms it seems so obvious..

Renstrom: Of course. But it is easier said than done. It’s hard to be consistent. We will always have students with some kind of reason, or a note from someone, that gives them access to technology. And then it becomes hard to explain why some people can have it and some people can’t. But student buy-in to the idea is important.

BU Today: But is getting students to agree more important than getting schools and parents to agree? Is it naive to think that students are supposed to follow the rules that we as parents and teachers set for them?

Renstrom: I have made the case before that addiction to phones is kind of like second-hand smoking. If you’re young and people around you are using it, you are going to want it, too. Every baby is like that. They want to reach for it, it’s flashing, their parents are on it all the time. Students openly acknowledge they are addicted. Their digital lives are there. But they also know there is this lack of balance in their lives. I do think buy-in is important. But do it as an experiment. Did it work? What changes did it make? Did it make you anxious or distracted during those 50 minutes in class? I did that for years. I surveyed students for a number of semesters; how do you feel about putting your phone in a pouch? They made some predictions and said what they thought about how annoying it was. But at the end, they talked about how those predictions [played out], and whether they were better able to focus. It was very, very clear they were better able to focus. Also interestingly, not a single student left during class to get a drink or go to the bathroom. They had been 100 percent doing that just so they could use their phone.

BU Today: Should we be talking about this question, cell phones in classrooms, for all ages, middle school all the way through college? Or does age matter?

Renstrom: It’s never going to be universal. Different families, different schools. And there is, on some level, a safety issue. I do not blame parents for thinking, if there’s someone with a gun in school, I need a way to reach my kids. What if all the phones are in pouches when someone with a gun comes in? It’s crazy that we even have to consider that.

BU Today: What’s one example of something that can be changed easily?

Renstrom: Parents need to stop calling their kids during the day. Stop doing that. What you are doing is setting that kid up so that they are responding to a bot 24-7 when they shouldn’t be. If you’re a kid who gets a text from your parent in class, you are conditioned to respond and to know that [the parent] expects a response. It adds so much anxiety to people’s lives. It all just ends up in this anxiety loop. When kids are in school, leave them alone. Think about what that phone is actually meant for. When you gave them a phone, you said it’s in case of an emergency or if you need to be picked up in a different place. Make those the parameters. If it’s just to confirm, “I’m still picking you up at 3,” then no, don’t do that. Remember when we didn’t have to confirm? There is a time and place for this, for all technology.

BU Today: This latest study, how do you think people will react to it?

Renstrom: This isn’t new. How many studies have to come out to say that cured meat is terrible and is carcinogenic. People are like, “Oh, don’t tell me what to eat. Or when to be on my phone.” This gets real contentious, real fast because telling people what’s good for them is hard.

BU Today: I can understand that—but in this case we’re not telling adults to stop being on their phones. We’re saying help get your kids off their phones in classrooms, for their health and education.

Renstrom: Studies show kids’ brains, and their gray matter, are low when they are on screens. School is prime habit-forming time. You should not sit in class within view of the professor, laughing while they are talking about World War II. There is a social appropriateness that needs to be learned. Another habit that needs to be addressed is the misconception of multitasking. We are under this misconception we all can do it. And we can’t. You might think, I can listen to this lecture while my sister texts me. That is not supported by science or studies. It is literally derailing you. Your brain jumps off to another track and has to get back on. If you think you have not left that first track, you are wrong.

BU Today: So what next steps would you like to see?

Renstrom: I would like to see both schools and families be more assertive about this. But also to work together. If the parents are anti-smartphone policy, it doesn’t matter if the school is pro-policy. If there is a war between parents and schools, I am not sure much will happen. Some kind of intervention and restriction is better than just ripping it away from kids. The UNESCO study found it is actually even worse for university students. We are all coming at this problem from all different ways. Pouches or banned phones. Or nothing.

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Doug Most is a lifelong journalist and author whose career has spanned newspapers and magazines up and down the East Coast, with stops in Washington, D.C., South Carolina, New Jersey, and Boston. He was named Journalist of the Year while at The Record in Bergen County, N.J., for his coverage of a tragic story about two teens charged with killing their newborn. After a stint at Boston Magazine , he worked for more than a decade at the Boston Globe in various roles, including magazine editor and deputy managing editor/special projects. His 2014 nonfiction book, The Race Underground , tells the story of the birth of subways in America and was made into a PBS/American Experience documentary. He has a BA in political communication from George Washington University. Profile

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There are 12 comments on Why Schools Should Ban Cell Phones in the Classroom—and Why Parents Have to Help

i found this very helpful with my research

It was a great research, helped me a lot.

I think that this was helpful, but there is an ongoing question at my school, which is, though phones may be negative to health and knowledge and they’re a distraction what happens if there was a shooting or a fire or a dangourus weather event and you don’t have a phone to tell your parents or guardians at home if you are alright? (Reply answer if have one)

Yeah they would get an amber alert

well, the school has the technology that can help communicate that to the parents, and if that were to happen, I guess that’s why there’s always a cell phone in the classrooms those old-time ones, but I feel it would not be okay in case of a shooting since you have to go silence, and on the moment of fire or weather everything happens so fast in the moment.

I think that this was helpful, but there is an ongoing question at my school, which is, though phones may be negative to health and knowledge and they’re a distraction what happens if there is a shooting or a fire or a dangerous weather event and you don’t have a phone to tell your parents or guardians at home if you are alright?

I am writing a paper and this is very helpful thank you.

I am writing a paper and this is very helpful but it is true what if our mom or dad have to contact us we need phones!

this helped me with my school project about whether cell phones should be banned in school. I think yes but the class is saying no. I think it’s because I was raised without a phone so I know how to survive and contact my parents without a phone. but anyway, this helped me with my essay! thank you!

I don’t think phones should be allowed in school, and this is perfect backup! Thank you Doug

great infromation for debate

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Bans may help protect classroom focus, but districts need to stay mindful of students’ sense of connection, experts say

Students around the world are being separated from their phones.

In 2020, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 77 percent of U.S. schools had moved to prohibit cellphones for nonacademic purposes. In September 2018, French lawmakers outlawed cellphone use for schoolchildren under the age of 15. In China, phones were banned country-wide for schoolchildren last year.

Supporters of these initiatives have cited links between smartphone use and bullying and social isolation and the need to keep students focused on schoolwork.

77% Of U.S. schools moved to ban cellphones for nonacademic purposes as of 2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics

But some Harvard experts say instructors and administrators should consider learning how to teach with tech instead of against it, in part because so many students are still coping with academic and social disruptions caused by the pandemic. At home, many young people were free to choose how and when to use their phones during learning hours. Now, they face a school environment seeking to take away their main source of connection.

“Returning back to in-person, I think it was hard to break the habit,” said Victor Pereira, a lecturer on education and co-chair of the Teaching and Teaching Leadership Program at the Graduate School of Education.

Through their students, he and others with experience both in the classroom and in clinical settings have seen interactions with technology blossom into important social connections that defy a one-size-fits-all mindset. “Schools have been coming back, trying to figure out, how do we readjust our expectations?” Pereira added.

It’s a hard question, especially in the face of research suggesting that the mere presence of a smartphone can undercut learning .

Michael Rich , an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says that phones and school don’t mix: Students can’t meaningfully absorb information while also texting, scrolling, or watching YouTube videos.

“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.”

Pereira’s approach is to step back — and to ask whether a student who can’t resist the phone is a signal that the teacher needs to work harder on making a connection. “Two things I try to share with my new teachers are, one, why is that student on the phone? What’s triggering getting on your cell phone versus jumping into our class discussion, or whatever it may be? And then that leads to the second part, which is essentially classroom management.

“Design better learning activities, design learning activities where you consider how all of your students might want to engage and what their interests are,” he said. He added that allowing phones to be accessible can enrich lessons and provide opportunities to use technology for school-related purposes.

Mesfin Awoke Bekalu, a research scientist in the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Chan School, argues that more flexible classroom policies can create opportunities for teaching tech-literacy and self-regulation.

“There is a huge, growing body of literature showing that social media platforms are particularly helpful for people who need resources or who need support of some kind, beyond their proximate environment,” he said. A study he co-authored by Rachel McCloud and Vish Viswanath for the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness shows that this is especially true for marginalized groups such as students of color and LGBTQ students. But the findings do not support a free-rein policy, Bekalu stressed.

In the end, Rich, who noted the particular challenges faced by his patients with attention-deficit disorders and other neurological conditions, favors a classroom-by-classroom strategy. “It can be managed in a very local way,” he said, adding: “It’s important for parents, teachers, and the kids to remember what they are doing at any point in time and focus on that. It’s really only in mono-tasking that we do very well at things.”

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Mobile Phones Should be Banned in Schools Essay Example

The issue of students using mobile phones at school has been a contentious issue in the media in recent times. Mobile phones have no place in schools and must be banned. The opposers would argue that mobile phones can improve social development and are useful learning aids.  It has become blatantly clear mobile phones are not beneficial for learning and social development. Instead of assisting students, mobile phones have become an absolute distraction in the classroom causing neverending buzzing and detrimental cyberbullying. Additionally, mobile phones are a great tactic for cheating on exams. Cheating on an exam is an unspeakable act earning not only, the school, a despicable reputation, but the child. It is appalling how schools still, promote the idea of mobile phones in classes!

Too many distractions are created because of mobile phones. Mobile phones have become the main distraction in classes causing poor grades and incessant buzzing. A study from Harvard University from 2017 has compared students, who texted during a lecture versus those, who did not. Students, who texted during the lecture took lower quality notes, retained less information, and did worse on the tests. 80% of participating students agreed, that using a mobile phone decreased their ability to pay attention to important information. This is further supported by the ABC NEWS investigation from 2015 that have delved deeper and has found that students in mobile affected classes are impeded and are not able to finish given tasks in an allocated amount of time.  It is clearly apparent that these damaging devices not only generate inferior grades but can also affect student’s confidence in their learning and their eagerness to learn at their best. Mobile phones should have no options in schools and must be banned to enable more focussed learning to take place for every student.

Consequently, as a result of mobile phone usage in schools,  cyberbullying rates have risen astronomically.  Every second, a child is subjected to cyberbullying due to the increasing number of mobile phones brought into schools. Cyberbullying causes physical and emotional harm, such as exclusion, harassment, trolling and catfishing,  leading to distressed and discomposed students. These acts of abuse are atrocious and should force schools into action by banning mobile phones! An article in the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ in 2017 revealed that suicide was the leading cause of death of 15-20 years old adolescents, often linked to online bullying because of the heavy use of mobile phones.

One tragic story included a victim suffering from cyberbullying. "My sixteen-year-old son was cyberbullied on Facebook over a period of 8 hours. The event was so traumatic it caused my son to have an acute psychotic break and to be hospitalized in an adolescent psychiatric ward for almost a month. He has changed forever and will never be the same mentally. Internet bullying can hurt and affect people and kids need to know this. These kids are not being punished in any way and think the incident is funny! We know it is life-changing." " - Parent of the 16-year-old boy from MN. Such evidence proves that this act of abuse is detrimental and causes children to feel depressed and down for an extended period of time. In addition to cyberbullying at school, it often continues in the safety of children’s homes via messaging, email, Snapchat, Instagram and so forth. Bullied victims are surrounded by constant, disgusting messages, having no place to call safe!  Students’ well beings are more important than mobile phones in schools. How would an adult feel in the child’s position, being constantly bullied having no safe place?

Furthermore, mobile phones, not being banned in schools would allow cheating.  Cheating is an abhorrent habit and is made even easier with a mobile phone, because of the mobile phone’s convenience nowadays. One-third of students cheat on exams using mobile phones, according to the US News poll last September. The aftermath of a child cheating would be suffering from a bad reputation and falling behind in their learning. Not only do the students suffer, but schools also suffer obtaining a less than desirable reputation, sooner or later. Sixty percent of high schools, who allow mobile phones suffer from declining enrolments after their reputation has been tarnished.  This clearly suggests that many schools have suffered the consequence of allowing mobile phone usage at school. There is no place for mobile phones in schools because of the link to cheating and resulting damage to a school's reputation.

In conclusion, mobile phones have no purpose for students in schools. These unnecessary devices create an absolute distraction by causing irritating buzzing noises, taking many students’ attention away from their lesson. Cheating has become an ever increasing problem in schools because of the convenience of mobile phones, threatening their reputation. Sadly, cyberbullying rates have increased because of the increasing amount of mobile phones brought into schools. It is imperative that mobile phones be banned in schools to create a fruitful environment for students to learn at their best and feel safe in, at all times.

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Opinion Why we should ban smartphones in schools

Rare is the essay that can change lives. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has written one.

On Tuesday, Haidt published “ Get Phones Out of Schools Now ” for the Atlantic, cross-posted from his “ After Babel ” Substack. If you haven’t made up your mind about the advisability of young people taking smartphones to school, Haidt’s careful, well-documented argument will likely move you into the “do not allow” camp.

Some parents might even be persuaded to take a bigger step and simply treat kids’ access to smartphones like access to the car keys: When you’re old enough to drive, you’re old enough to have a smartphone.

Comparing today with just four years ago, Haidt writes, “The case for phone-free schools is much stronger now.” Evidence has lately become clear that phones are addling young minds and that there is a causal link between their use and skyrocketing mental health issues among the young. (As if that weren’t enough to make you want to grab children’s phones away from them, the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday published a horrifying article, “Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network.”)

Haidt succinctly summarizes his findings: “So the time is right for parents and educators to ask: Should we make the school day phone-free? Would that reduce rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm? Would it improve educational outcomes? I believe that the answer to all of these questions is yes.”

Commonplace but feckless school rules about not using phones during class aren’t sufficient (and are ignored anyway). He’s talking about barring students from physically possessing a phone at school anywhere, anytime. Phones should be essentially locked up in the morning and returned at the end of the school day, Haidt says.

One study he cites found that students’ test scores dropped the closer they were to a phone, even if it wasn’t in use . The potential for distraction was itself distracting.

“All children deserve schools that will help them learn, cultivate deep friendships, and develop into mentally healthy young adults,” he concludes. “All children deserve phone-free schools.”

Will schools, school boards and parents act? If they don’t, should state legislatures? How about the Education Department, with its vast resources , the allocation of which could be conditioned on compliance with regulations adopted through notice-and-comment rulemaking?

The solution is obvious but not inevitable. The trouble will be the bubble. The trouble is always the bubble.

There are “blue bubbles” and “red bubbles” and bubbles for every point of view, cultural value or political inclination. They all function like the enormous, menacing bubble in the mostly forgotten 1967-1968 British television series “ The Prisoner .”

Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, the 17-episode show depicted a British spy whose resignation prompts his abduction to a strange, resort-like penal colony. But all you need to know is that the bubble, known as Rover, always won. Always. The bubble enforced the rules on the prisoners, smothering them into docility. The prisoners never escaped.

Today’s bubbles have a similar policing effect, reinforcing existing opinions and shuttering minds against new information and changes of direction. Much of the U.S. education elite is in a bubble of conformity to its own hierarchy of authority. Unless that hierarchy is open to findings such as those Haidt describes, the dramatic course correction necessary in all schools — public and private, religious and secular, charter and neighborhood — will not happen.

Officials within the education establishment must be willing not only to do something of critical importance to students but also to face down the unavoidable pushback. The pushback will come from students, of course, but also from parents who like the convenience and false sense of security afforded by equipping their children with phones.

If the ability to stay in touch with their kids during the day is essential, Haidt says, then parents — especially of younger children — should equip them with flip phones, a.k.a. dumb phones, the kind strictly for placing and receiving calls, not for scrolling through social media.

There would almost certainly also be quiet lobbying by phone manufacturers against school bans, for surely the bans would raise questions about the hidden harms that smartphones have inflicted on a generation of children.

If these phones are a danger to students’ health and well-being, as Haidt argues, and if the manufacturers and social media companies that grew because of them knew of the risk and did not act to stop or at least warn of it … well, the history of cigarette and opioid litigation might be instructive.

I hope the bubble denizens mentioned above can escape long enough to read this one essay. Then a start will have been made. Closing schools during the pandemic was an enormous and costly mistake that the nation must not repeat, absent specific evidence that a virus is a terrible danger to children. But the evidence of how smartphones damage young minds and undermine education is already here. Get phones out of schools now.

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What Students Are Saying About School Cellphone Bans

Policies restricting phone use in schools are trending. We asked students if they thought such rules were a good idea.

By The Learning Network

Nearly one in four countries has laws or policies banning or restricting student cellphone use in schools . Proponents say no-phone rules reduce student distractions and bullying. Critics say the bans could hinder student self-direction and critical thinking.

We asked teenagers what they thought: Should schools ban cellphones?

The reactions were mixed. Many students brought up the same reasons they wanted access to their phones during the day: to listen to music, to contact their parents and even for schoolwork. But many recognized the need for some boundaries around phone use, with several supporting an outright ban. Read their arguments below.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from Midtown High School in Atlanta ; Parkway South High School in Manchester, Mo. ; and Miami Country Day School in Miami, Fla .

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

No phones in school? We’re all for it, some students said.

Recently, I stopped bringing my phone to school. I only had an Apple Watch to listen to music and message my family. This change has allowed me to focus more during my classes and I’ve come up with more creative ideas due to this change. To put it simply, while the banning of cellphones may take some time to fully get used to, it’s a necessity for all schools in order for their students to concentrate and participate more quickly. One of the main problems with cellphone usage in class is that students aren’t talking with one another. Instead, everyone is talking AT each other, because they’re always on their phones messaging or checking social media. With the banning of phones however, students can engage with one another without the use of technology, which can be described as “authentic,” or more personal.

— Leo, Midtown High School

I think that schools should ban cellphones because most problems in school typically circle back to cellphones. Students will take videos or photos of others during school and this gets uploaded to social media. They usually get bullied and aren’t comfortable being posted on social media. Kids are also always on their phones during class. Their grades start to go down and then they fail. All of these problems can be avoided if they just ban phones in school.

— Mylea, CNY

The phrase “eyes glued to the screen” is an understatement to how little students converse with one another due to something “more important” on their phone. It’s increasingly alarming and concerning that I have seen on many occasions a whole group of people sitting at a table, pressing away or scrolling on their phones, and all I hear is silence. Consequently, this adds to the overarching problem of mental health issues because of how attached students are to devices. They lose the skill of communication and therefore are not able to converse very well in the long-term.

— Alex, Manchester

I believe that we are in a weird time, where cellphone usage is so normalized, that being asked to put it away makes people mad. While I understand the annoyance with having your property confiscated, I do think it’s for the better of students. We are at a point where time and time again it’s been proven by ourselves that we have absolutely no self control and are unable to stay off phones when asked. I do think checking cameras and driving around during lunch is an extreme; but it may be necessary. If you need phones to do online classes, then use a computer. If older generations were able to make it 8 hours without checking an Instagram story, then so can we.

— emmies, midtown highschool

In my school, many students amble around campus, staring down at their phones, completely oblivious to the world around them. I have witnessed some of my peers bump into walls or into other students as they are entranced in their small electronic devices. The attention that students pay to their phones takes away from socializing, interacting, and learning throughout the school day. This has had a profound negative impact on their grades that is oftentimes irreversible. For example, in middle school, cellphone use was not permitted during the school day. Many of my peers were more engaged in their classes and thus had higher grades. When we got to high school, the rules changed and phones were allowed. Some of my same peers that had good grades, are now on academic probation for failing classes. Although this could be a result of many different factors, the main change from middle school to high school was phone usage.

Phones also interfere with quality social interactions. I noticed that in middle school, many students engaged more with one another, had quality conversations, and strong friendships. Some of these same students now have very few friends and engage with electronics more than people. It is important to keep in mind that this is the reality of some students, but not all. Many of my current friends in school have not let the electronic device world have such an intense impact on their lives, and therefore are very social and are doing fantastic academically.

— Arabella, Miami Country Day School/Miami Florida

Others recognized the need for some boundaries around phone use, but thought an outright ban went too far.

Cellphones should be limited, not banned, in schools but with a couple of key qualifications. During class time, I think there should be no phones allowed from when the bell rings to start the class to when the bell rings to end the class. There should be breaks in the middle of the class, as the teacher sees fit, such as how we do in some of my classes, to take a quick break and check notifications before getting back into it. This would hopefully influence students to use dedicated class time wisely and be more “checked in” so to speak while not missing out on possible crucial messages or emergencies that may come through during that class. However, if a student is in a free period, they should be able to use their phone. It is up to the student to use their time wisely outside of class to get their work done and allowing the student to have some independence in making a responsible choice as a young adult in the making is a positive.

— Jack, Ames, Iowa

An alternative to the use of phones in school is to heavily regulate media in the range of school, meaning not just banning social media under the school network but also having students log on to an application during school which only allows access to important needs for phones like contacting parents or educational apps, in case of a student’s laptop being dead, broken or forgotten at home. In the grand scheme of things, I believe removing a student’s phone would also cause more of a problem in the situation of an emergency because they will not be able to contact their parents. Banning them is definitely not necessary but a regulation on cell phones would be beneficial to students as a whole.

— Jaden, Sun Valley, CA

In every class, you’ll see people with their cellphone out, or laying on their desk next to them, just within reach for when it buzzes. Every time this buzz distracts the student, it takes their brain at least five seconds to focus back on the task they were working on, decreasing productivity and increasing errors. I believe that teachers should confiscate students’ phones during class, and have rules for when this confiscation is violated. However, if said class is a free period, the students could keep their phones out, to be able to communicate with their parents and keep up with their extracurriculars. Many parents should support their child focusing on school, and will be fine with them only responding in 90 minute intervals in between classes.

— Katya, Midtown High School

For me, the best policy for students is for teachers to take phones during classes and instructional time and give them back after class. I know some students are against having their phones taken during class, but I do think it increases focus. During free periods and lunch, I think it is important for students to have time to be there on their phones because it provides a time to relax and enjoy something not school-related.

— Ginny, J.R. Masterman Philadelphia

I use my phone as another device for my school work. For example, if I’m given a piece of writing to work on, I’ll have the assignment and instructions pulled up on my phone while I complete the work on my iPad. I understand the frustration teachers may have when they’re talking and multiple students are scrolling on TikTok or using Snapchat while learning a lesson. This can affect their work and education, however banning phones is excessive. If it’s become a problem or a setback in classes, setting a rule to make sure the phone stays in a bag can just may be an option. Otherwise it’s not easy for me to communicate among my parents, friends, or even boss.

— Sofia, Glenbard West High School

Some wanted unrestricted access to their phones during the day for a variety of reasons.

As a student who was born and raised in Ethiopia, we weren’t allowed to have a cellphone at all. It did have advantages like socializing, we ate lunch together and hung out together. We also did a lot of activities together but it didn’t do any good in my academics. Most parents and teachers worry that having a phone would be a distraction from having a better grade but for me, I had higher grades when I had my phone compared to my old grade when I didn’t have my phone. Although it might be distracting in class, it helped me a lot by using it for research or listening to music when I wanted to study. It also helped me to contact my parents whenever I wanted. I would not welcome a ban in my school because I learn with my phone since I work better when I research and take notes and most of my teachers just lecture.

— Yohanan, Vancouver, WA

When cellphones/messaging devices started out they were a hit. They gave some brief release for students that need a second to rest so they can focus better. This is still true today. I have to go through 5 periods without a break where I am either sitting at a desk or walking to class. Those few moments with my phone help a lot. Our attention spans are not infinite. Cellphones in schools also give me a connection to my home and parents when I need to talk to them. There has never been a student that has done poorly on a test and didn’t want to vent it out to someone. For me, this is my mom and dad. They are always good at calming me down and stopping me from spiraling. Without cellphones, I would never have that person close to help me.

— Tyson, Fountain Valley

There have been a few times this year when I’ve had to text my parents to come pick me up because I’ve been sick and needed to go home. The ease with which I was able to contact them would no longer exist if a phone ban was implemented, as not every teacher allows students free access to the office without a “valid” reason (and sickness isn’t always seen as such). Even if I were able to go to the office to reach my parents, the time this process took would be significantly longer. Thus, cellphone bans are simply too extreme for most schools, and districts should instead consider other forms of restriction to have the benefits of bans, without the consequences.

— Charlotte, Midtown High School

And a few thought students, rather than teachers or the school, should bear the burden for using their phones responsibly.

I don’t think schools should ban cellphones and I would not welcome a cellphone ban in my school. I think as high school students we need to be responsible for our own actions. If you are a student and you are on your phone in your class you need to accept the consequences that your grades and understanding of the material will suffer. Students need to learn how to pay attention in class without getting on their phones. In college no teachers are going to be getting them in trouble for being on their phones. How will they teach themselves the self control to not be on your phone in class?

— Kathryn, Maury High School

I have mixed emotions on this topic. I feel that high schoolers should be held responsible for their own education. If they choose to not pay attention in class and not take advantage of all the tools that their teachers are giving them, then they should do whatever they want. As 15-year-olds and up, high school teachers should not be held responsible for 100+ students learning. The student themselves needs to be responsible for their own learning and their own grades.

— Emily, Baker High School

At least one student said working to address the root causes of teenage “cellphone addiction” might be a better approach.

Many students are drawn to scrolling through social media as a coping mechanism or an escape from the fact that they struggle with school or have been otherwise discouraged from learning and connecting with their peers. While these are not excuses for being distracted or disrespectful, working to address the root causes of the widespread cellphone addiction might be more helpful long-term than a cellphone ban. While the ban seems to be an effective short term solution for the school day, it might harm students when they go to college or find themselves in a world where there are no strict bans and they must self-regulate their screen time. Working to address these root causes as well as fostering responsibility would help young people feel more connected to the world around them and better prepare them for the world.

— Abigail, Maury High School- Norfolk, VA

In the end, some saw the appeal of a ban but worried it would “only intensify” students’ negative attitudes toward school.

I understand why a ban might seem appealing to certain teachers and administrators, however, I also believe that it would be more harmful than beneficial in the long run. Many students already have negative attitudes toward school: a major cause of stress and dread for some. I strongly feel a cellphone ban would only intensify these negative attitudes towards school as a whole. It wouldn’t motivate students to attend, and would almost villainize the school itself. It just isn’t worth it. Speaking from experiences at my school and things that I’ve noticed, I observe that the majority of students do a good job staying off their phones and paying attention during class. Our school doesn’t strongly restrict phones, and it has never really been a problem. Additionally, I feel that a ban on cellphones would only do so much. If a student really wants to be on their phone, they will find a way to do so regardless of whatever ban may or may not be in place.

— Natalie, Glen Ellyn, IL

Learn more about Current Events Conversation here and find all of our posts in this column .

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Should mobile phones be banned in schools?

No – they help independent study.

"You'll have someone's eye out with that" used to be the refrain of teachers in my day. In malevolent hands, a pencil, a rubber, even a piece of paper could become a lethal weapon in class, and that's before we got on to compasses and Bunsen burners.

A mobile is the same: a potentially potent tool for learning but strangely feared in a school pupil's hand, where it is assumed to wreak havoc with concentration, unleash cyber bullying and surreptitiously video up teachers' skirts.

But isn't it also madness when schools that cannot afford modern IT facilities ignore the powerful computers in every pupils' pocket?

I was amazed when I visited my old school recently: having remarked how sorry I felt for teachers in the mobile era, several teachers immediately declared how useful they were in class. There's even an acronym for it: BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. As one teacher has argued in the Guardian, this is the future: students using their trusted devices rather than a machine they leave in school at the end of each day.

Jo Debens, a geography teacher at Priory School, Portsmouth, a comprehensive with a mixed intake, was dashing out to take 30 pupils orienteering when we spoke: her students were testing whether it was easier to use an OS map or a mobile phone's mapping services.

Earlier this year, the school drew up a "mobile device policy" in consultation with students. Mobile phones are allowed in school and used in class at the teacher's discretion, with a clear system of sanctions applied for misuse. Since the policy was introduced, only 1.4% of negative behavioural incidents have been connected with mobiles.

Pupils record homework tasks on their phone's calendar (why do they forget homework diaries but never their textbooks?) and in Debens's geography classes they use the camera function to record things and report back to class. They also use mobile internet for independent research.

"We're always being told as teachers that we should give pupils differentiated learning and personalise it. Now they can," says Debens of using mobiles. "Like anything, it's only useful in the hands of the user. They are not the be-all and end-all. We would have death by Wikipedia if all people were doing was cutting and pasting from them."

"I was very anti phones," admits Nasim Jahangir, a business and economics teacher at Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, Leicester. Several years ago, however, she incorporated smartphones into lessons as she "learned to teach in a different way" – with an emphasis on independent study. She admits it is probably easier to ensure his A-level classes use phones constructively but she thinks it has improved behaviour. "The whole atmosphere in the class has changed," she says, becoming less adversarial, with students policing themselves over inappropriate phone use.

What about pupils who cannot afford a smartphone? And what about children running up big bills doing school work on their phones? Jahangir ensures his tweeting and mobile phone work is accessible to all on the school's intranet. Debens says her school provides Wi-Fi and portable dongles with Wi-Fi so pupils are not paying for their own study. "We have people who come to school without a coat or without having had any breakfast," she says, "but they always have a phone." Patrick Barkham

Yes – they cause disruption and distress

Mobiles are the curse of the modern age – in restaurants, on trains and, most of all, in schools. Pupils are texting when they should be working; they use social networking sites to bully fellow pupils; and they post pictures of their teachers on YouTube. Ian Fenn, head of Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester, had had enough . "Mobiles rather crept up on education and in our experience it was a nightmare," he says. Fenn has banned pupils from making calls or sending texts on school premises and, according to the Daily Mail, the results in terms of improved behaviour and reduced cyberbullying have been dramatic.

Mobiles in schools is one of many issues over which the Mail obsesses, but that doesn't mean a ban is wrong. Indeed, in May an online poll in the Guardian produced a three-to-one vote in favour of a ban. The poll was prompted by a statement by Sir Michael Wilshaw, the new chief inspector of schools and head of Ofsted, that mobiles in schools were disruptive . When he was head of Mossbourne Academy in Hackney, east London, he banned them and said the decision produced immediate benefits.

Ofsted has supported Fenn's decision, but it admits , despite Wilshaw's views, it has no powers itself to impose a ban. "The issue is for schools to manage," says a spokeswoman. There is, in effect, a policy vacuum, with each school being left to decide best practice.

"We introduced a complete ban on mobile phones two years ago because of the disruption they were causing," says a spokeswoman for Cockshut Hill Technology College in Yardley, east Birmingham, "and it has improved behaviour. If pupils want to bring them in because of parents' fears for their safety getting to and from school, we provide lockers where they can be kept. But if we see them in school, we confiscate them. If they're confiscated three times, parents have to come and sign for them." The legality of similar schemes elsewhere has been challenged, but the spokeswoman insists parents and pupils have accepted the policy and that it has produced a much better learning environment.

Teachers union the NASUWT supports a classroom ban. In a recent survey, 46% of its members identified mobiles as a cause of disruption and indiscipline, and the union is particularly worried by pupils taking photographs in lessons and posting material on YouTube and social networking sites. NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates has said such material causes teachers "untold distress and trauma".

A recent report by the Scottish government concluded that mobiles were a "frequent and distracting influence", with cyberbullying especially prevalent . "Mobile phones in the classroom can be disruptive," says a spokesman for teachers union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), "and their use should be the subject of an explicit school policy. While we understand parents might want their children to have mobiles with them because of concerns about safety, we don't see any reason for them to be in classrooms. An outright ban is very difficult and wouldn't gain parental support, but they need to be turned off during teaching time."

The EIS says that sometimes the rules are fuzzy, which is where arguments over confiscation occur. But the spokesman adds that the rash of "happy slapping" incidents a couple of years ago forced local authorities to confront the issue, and gradually a consensus is emerging. That consensus is that classrooms are for teaching not texting, and if the rules are clear parents will accept temporary confiscation. Stephen Moss

• Mobile phones
• Smartphones

More on this story

Spanish schools clamp down on smartphones in classrooms

Has blocking mobiles in schools had its day?

Mobile phones in the classroom: teachers share their tips

What's the right age for a child to have a mobile?

Overturn mobile phone ban in schools, urges union chief, comments (…), most viewed.

Persuasive Essay: Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in Schools

Banning cell phones in school? Allowing students to use their cellphones in the classroom is 

a controversial topic. But students have already found ways of using cell phones in school for academic purposes. After all, allowing cell phone usage can help students during the day by learning in a way they are comfortable, keeping in contact with their parents, and devices provide easy access to information. I do not agree with the cell phone ban!

First of all, allowing cell phone usage lets students learn in a way where they're comfortable.  

Cell phones are like a tool to students these days, it helps them in many ways and it makes them feel comfortable and learn better.  According to the text, “Smartphones are young-person intuitive.  More and more students know how to use them, and they are becoming the most used "tool" by teens "(The SHARE team, resilient educator). In addition, allowing students to use their cell phones keeps them in contact with their parents. And know there are phones in schools but parents feel safe to know that their children can reach them at any moment. Based on the text, "Contacting parents mediated by school sometimes takes time so one of the best options is if the student can contact them directly.  This is especially useful during medical emergencies.  There are also times where the parents need to get ahold of their child for some important reason or just to check up on them on why they are running late "(Todd VanDuzer, student-tutor). 

In fact, letting students use their phones in schools also lets them access information easier.  

Some students may find it hard to keep on top of all their assignmens and by giving them access to information on the internet they can learn more about the topic and help them be on top of their work.  As said in the text, "If smartphones are allowed in school, students will have easy access to more information and therefore will be more participative during the class discussion" (Todd VanDuzer, student-tutor).  Being able to search up facts in just a few clicks is one of the biggest advantages of using technology.

On the other hand, Cell phones in the classroom promote cheating.  There are many websites, online forums, and tutors available online.  Most of the websites require subscriptions.  These resources, allow students to ask a question about their homework and they will be provided the answer.  If a student is allowed to bring their cell phone, he will have access to submit his question and receive the answer.  As said in the text "As said before, kids are getting distracted and not paying attention, so when it comes to taking a test they have no idea what the answers are so many students will cheat and not even learn anything" (Amie Vitello, Middle Borough TV).

In conclusion, cell phones should not be banned from schools because they are used for academic purposes. They provide quick access to knowledge, and they are learning in a method that is comfortable for them, and they can maintain in touch with their parents. In the end mobile devices have their benefits. So, should we ban them?

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Why a ban on cellphones in schools might be more of a distraction than the problem it’s trying to fix

Lecturer, School of Education, Auckland University of Technology

Disclosure statement

Eunice Gaerlan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Auckland University of Technology provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ.

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The National Party’s promised ban on cellphones in schools has been touted by leader Christopher Luxon as a “common sense” and “practical” way to address New Zealand’s poor academic achievement.

And his claim that “phones are a massive disturbance and distraction” seems credible on the face of it. A recent UNESCO report found the intensive use of devices had negative impacts on student performance and increased disruption in the classroom.

App notifications throughout the day were found to be distracting students from their learning, affecting focus, recall and comprehension.

But international research suggests a blanket ban would make only a small difference to grades. A focus on phones risks shifting attention from other reasons students may be underachieving.

Read more: Do smartphones belong in classrooms? Four scholars weigh in

Misunderstanding the UNESCO report

Current interpretations of the UNESCO report, including how it is being used in the political argument, seem to focus on phones as the main source of distraction for students.

But these interpretations fail to acknowledge the broader context of the report’s findings. The report looks at smartphones as part of a wider suite of information communications technology (ICT) used during the school day, including personal laptops and tablets. These devices can also lead to distraction and lower student engagement.

The UNESCO report actually cautions against a complete device ban :

Students need to learn the risks and opportunities that come with technology, develop critical skills, and understand to live with and without technology. Shielding students from new and innovative technology can put them at a disadvantage. It is important to look at these issues with an eye on the future and be ready to adjust and adapt as the world changes.

Learning from overseas bans

Almost one in four countries have laws and policies banning smartphones in schools, most commonly in Central and South Asia.

Several Australian states have introduced bans over the past few years, with anecdotal evidence suggesting higher student engagement . Other countries, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom , are following suit.

A British study found banning phones is an effective low-cost policy to improve student performance . However, Swedish research aiming to replicate the British findings suggests the impact of a mobile phone ban on student achievement is negligible.

According to the Swedish research, “mobile phone bans have no impact on student performance, and we can reject even very small effects of banning mobile phones in the Swedish setting”.

The UNESCO report itself suggests a ban would be little more than a blunt approach to what is a much more complex problem.

Beyond the politics

While the evidence supporting a ban continues to be evaluated, the approach will appeal to many New Zealand parents and teachers who have concerns about children’s phone use and the impact of phones in the classroom and at home. These concerns make a ban an easy political win for National.

But schools, which operate as self-governing institutions through a board of trustees, currently implement their own policies on phone use. A blanket ban will undermine their ability to choose what is best for their community.

Read more: How smart is it to allow students to use mobile phones at school?

Decisions about a phone policy would benefit from community consultation supported by sound evidence. These consultations should involve all those with a stake in students’ learning, including the students themselves – 90% of whom have a cellphone by their first year of high school.

And we should be putting faith in our students. In my study on teenage girls and social media , students reported varying degrees of self-regulation and high self-awareness of the impact of social media on their wellbeing. They were able to enact their own boundaries to mitigate the negative effects of new technologies.

Perhaps what is needed here is an educational approach, rather than a ban. We could give young people the resources to develop the necessary critical thinking strategies and self-awareness to engage reflectively with these new technologies.

Addressing what really hurts student achievement

What remain strikingly absent from the discussion are the various other pressures causing lower student achievement, such as the ongoing impact of the pandemic on student learning .

We need to be looking at the effects of truancy and what support schools are receiving to turn this around. We also need to address what the cost-of-living crisis is doing to families and their ability to meet the basic needs of their children.

There is clearly a crisis in the education sector and these other pressures on young people’s engagement need be taken seriously. Instead of a blanket ban on cellphones in the classroom, efforts should be put towards getting children to school and keeping them there.

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Argumentative Essay on the Use of Mobile Phones in Schools

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Maryam Ghalib

Αργύρης Κυρίδης

The continuing and rapid evolution of mobile telephony seems to effect contemporary life and especially students life. In our research we investigate Greek high school students' beliefs and attitudes about mobile telephony and their stance on mobile phone usage. A total of 194 students of high school, participated in the study (99 boys and 95 girls). A closed form questionnaire with 16 sentences has been given. The data that has been collected analyzed using Factor Analysis method. In this way the data grouped according to their interrelation, in order to project special categories and fully describe students' attitudes. Based on the Factor Analysis five independent axes arise, which interpret the 69% of the total sample. The results show that although students consider mobile phone as a necessity, they treat it as a life style gadget. (Mobile telephony, high school, greek students) I.

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Now a day’s mobile phone usability increased in students and society. There are many benefits of using mobile phone along with excessive use of mobile phone become stress in our life. Currently use of mobile phone more concern in students and society. Various efforts have been made through research to identify increased use of mobile phone. At present, mobile phones are being used everywhere. The mobile radiations may give harmful effects, will give major problems also in males’ infertility, Ear problems, Immunity system, Eye vision problems, high blood pressure, tiredness, stress, sleep distribution, impaired concentration, memory and finally gets DNA problems.1 Key words: Impact, mobile phone, student and society.

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In 21 st century the revolution of using mobile phone is the most significant issue in the information technology of the modern world. Bangladesh is not beyond the atmospheric. Most of the people either poor or rich use this device widely. Specially the teenagers who are the learners of secondary level are addicted to this technological device. For this reason, they are becoming lag behind from academic study/performance. The research work aims at finding out the above problems and its solutions with keen observations. It also expects to make the learners of secondary level involve in classroom study. The Research work has been done according to the quantitative or some somehow mixed method. To make this research authentic, all the information has been collected from various primary and secondary sources, such as research works, journal articles, newspaper articles etc. Questionnaire with survey method has directly been followed among the learners, teachers, guardians and concerned elites. Here in the manuscript the author has desired to make a result that learners, teachers, guardians, concerned elites, the authority of educational institutions and even the government will realize the harmful effect of excessive use of mobile phone among the learners of secondary level and try to solve this problem collectively. Finally, this study established that excessive use of mobile phone among the learners of secondary level made the quality of education very less than before in Bangladesh especially in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh.

International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)

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Mobile phones are widely used by university students and there is a controversial topic whether students should be able to use them freely during lectures. A survey was distributed seeking student opinions on using mobile phones in classroom. We used two-phase sampling method to reduce the nonresponse bias. There were 392 valid responses. To test the effect of different factors on students’ opinions a number of statistical techniques were utilized. The results showed Qatar University students marginally favored using mobile in classroom but using mobile phone distracted some students who are less in favor of using phone during lectures. The proportion of students who believe that student should decide to use or not use mobile in the classes is 0.635. Apparently, students expected implementation of a policy that controls the use of mobile phones in class. Recommendations include a blanket policy for the University on the use of mobile phones during class, mobile phone breaks given by...

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The study investigated the uses of a cell phone in educational activities of students at a higher level. The recommendation of National Professional Standards on the use of ICT in education provides a strong theoretical background for the study. The objectives of the study focused on the investigation of the perception of teachers and students regarding the uses of the cell phone in educational activities and effective communication between students and teachers for educational progress. Adopting a descriptive research design, a survey was carried out to investigate one hundred respondents by using a self-developed questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed through percentage and findings were tabulated consequently which show that majority of respondent uses a cell phone for instructive activities and having positive effects on students’ educational performances. Furthermore, the uses of a cell phone in educational activities facilitate teachers and students at the same level i...

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This study is an effort to investigate the “Impacts of Cell Phone Using Habits on the Studies of Students of University of Sargodha and Punjab University Lahore. The study used the survey method for data collection. A sample of 100 respondents consisting of 50 Teachers and 50 Parents was selected by using purposive and convenience sampling technique. The findings show that respondents frequently use cell phone and overwhelming majority spent lots of money in their daily lives. Respondents frequently use cell phone to contact with parents followed by friends, close friends whereas somewhat with classmates and rarely with teachers. But according to teachers and parents students mostly use cell phone to contact with parents; classmates, friends, and close friends with little difference. Students frequently use cell phone in class room not for lecture recording but for the purpose of SMS texting etc. It is also observed that students mostly use cell phone for un-educational activities and according to teachers and parents due the use of cell phone respondents are losing focus on their studies and parents are decreasing their parental control on their children due to the use of cell phone.

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Parental Rights

Parents Don't Want Schools to Confiscate Kids' Phones

A new survey highlights how fear-based parenting drives phone-based childhoods..

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.27.2024 11:30 AM

A majority of American parents want kids to have access to their phones at school, a new survey finds . In addition, most parents think cellphones have a positive effect on their kids' lives.

Debates over teens and smartphones often contain the (assumed or explicit) premise that parents want their kids to stop living what author and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls a "phone-based childhood." Popular wisdom today says parents think phones are negatively impacting their childrens' lives and want kids to have less access to phones but feel powerless to change the situation—a premise baked into Haidt's new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (read my review here ).

But a survey conducted earlier this month by the National Parents Union challenges this narrative.

Want more on sex, technology, bodily autonomy, law, and online culture? Subscribe to Sex & Tech from Reason and Elizabeth Nolan Brown.

Phones—the Perfect Vehicle for Helicopter Parenting

In The Anxious Generation , Haidt looks at the rise of various problems among young people and pinpoints two interlocking culprits: the ascendancy of a "phone-based childhood" and the decline of a "play-based childhood." Many folks see this as a simple one-way flow: phones came along and simply wiped out time or motivation for other pursuits. Haidt suggests a somewhat different sequence of events. As parents began to fear everything in the offline world (and instill this fear into their children), individual families and American society more broadly started denying children independence, autonomy, and unstructured free time. "Screen time" started to fill a void that parents, politicians, police, and our culture as a whole had already created.

The new National Parents Union survey perfectly illustrates the way fear-based parenting is driving phone-based childhoods.

In the survey—conducted in February among 1,506 parents of public school students grades K-12—66 percent of parents said their kids have a cell phone and most of these kids (79 percent) take their phones to school. Asked why parents' wanted this, the most common answers were so that kids could "use their phone if there is an emergency" (79 percent agreed) and so parents could get in touch with their children "or find out where they are when needed" (71 percent). Forty percent said it was important for communicating with kids "about their mental health or other needs during the day."

In other words, a lot of parents want their kids to have phones at school because these parents are anxious, afraid, and/or overzealously policing their progeny's whereabouts and feelings.

Hat tip to Bonnie Kristian for first identifying this paradox. "It is increasingly fashionable to talk about the risk phones pose to American kids, especially teenage girls," writes Kristian on Substack:

The dysfunction of the phone-based childhood has become impossible to ignore, thanks in no small part to Haidt's own work. We're all saying it: Make the kids put down their phones at dinner! Ban phones in school! Kick teenagers off social media or confine them to flip phones or take the phones away altogether! But then there's the second level: When push comes to shove, whatever ideals they may spout about rejecting the phone-based childhood, average American parents want their middle and high schoolers to have phones, preferably smartphones with location tracking kept on their persons at all times.

Hey, Teachers, Leave Those Phones Alone

It seems parents are as attached to their kids having phones as their kids are. In light of this, it's unsurprising that many parents frown on policies that totally deny kids access to phones at school (even though the popular/political narrative around kids and phones suggests this is what parents want).

Fifty-six percent of the people surveyed by the National Parents Union said "students should sometimes be allowed to use their cell phones" in school, while just 32 percent said "students should be banned from using their cell phones, unless they have a medical condition or disability for which they need to use a cell phone."

Even among the group who said most students should be banned from using phones, only 30 percent wanted this ban to apply broadly (i.e., outside of class). Most said phones should be banned during academic instruction but allowed at other times, such as during lunch or recess or during periods between classes.

In keeping with this, relatively few of the parents surveyed supported school policies that keep kids' entirely away from their phones during the day.

Fifteen percent said schools should "require students to place their cell phones in a central location in their classroom, such as a cubby or holder, but don't lock them up" and 14 percent said they should "require students to place their cell phones in a locked cabinet or cell phone lockers in their classroom." Another 8 percent said schools should "lock up students' cell phones in secure pouches or containers that they can carry with them but that prevent them from using their phone."

The most popular answer—shared by 59 percent of the parents surveyed—was that schools should "allow students to keep their phones in their backpack or bag (not locked up) as long as they don't take them out and keep them on silent."

Reassuringly, very few people (5 percent) think the federal government should make decisions about school phone policies and only 10 percent say it should be a state-level government decision.

Most parents think phone policies should be made at the school district level (29 percent), the school level (28 percent), or at the classroom level (18 percent).

The Upsides of Screen Time

Some of the data in this survey fits popular narratives about kids and phones, like the ideas that they're starting young and spending a lot of time on them.

Among parents who allowed their children to have cellphones, the most popular ages to have given phones to them was between 10 and 13 years old. (The survey does not say what type of phones were given, so it's possible many kids received dumb phones to start.) Only 13 percent of parents waited until a kid was age 14 or older.

Among those whose kids had cell phones, only 18 percent estimated that their child spends less than 2 hours per day on it. Some 28 percent estimated that their kid spends between 2 and 3 hours per day on their phones, with 29 percent suggesting their kid uses it for 4 or 5 hours per day, 12 percent saying 6 or 7 hours per day, and 9 percent saying their kids are on phones for upwards of 8 hours per day.

And yet, most parents seem pretty unalarmed by this phone usage. Just 9 percent said phones had a mostly or entirely negative effect on their kids.

Nearly half—46 percent—said the phone had a mostly or entirely positive effect on their child, while 42 percent said the effect was "about equally positive and negative."

This stands out as at odds with what we commonly hear in the media and from legislators about how parents view kids' phone use. But it's in keeping with what many kids themselves say. In a 2022 survey of American 13- to 17-year-olds, conducted Pew Research Center, kids identified all sorts of plus sides to social media (which is, of course, one of the main things that kids use phones for). And a majority—59 percent—said social media is neither a negative nor a positive in their lives, while 32 percent said it's mostly positive and just 9 percent said it's mostly negative.

It's also in keeping with some earlier research on phone adoption among kids. For instance, a 2022 study from Stanford Medicine researchers followed 250 tweens and teens for five years during which most got a first cellphone, tracking study participants' well-being during this transition. The kids were 7 to 11 years old when the study started and 11 to 15 years old when it ended. The researchers "found that whether or not the children in the study had a mobile phone, and when they had their first mobile phone, did not seem to have meaningful links to their well-being and adjustment outcomes," according to lead author Xiaoran Sun.

More Sex & Tech

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law restricting teen use of social media platforms. Under the new law, 14- and 15-year-olds can old start social media accounts with their parents' permission. "This law puts all users' privacy at risk by mandating age verification," said Competitive Enterprise Institute's director of the Center for Technology & Innovation, Jessica Melugin. It also "ignores parents' rightful role in deciding what is and is not appropriate for their child, and may sacrifice too much of the free flow of speech to be constitutional. It's political click bait, but it's not good public policy."

• California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require large online platforms to verify the identities of "influential" users. Influential here is defined to include basically any user that's been at it for a while (that is, if content they've shared "has been seen by more than 25,000 users over the lifetime of the accounts that they control or administer").

• Mother Jones has an interesting interview with Lynn Paltrow , founder of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women (now called Pregnancy Justice). "For much of the past 50 years, the mainstream pro-choice groups were focused almost exclusively on the right to abortion," said Paltrow, who believes this was a mistake. "There was no campaign to explain abortion as necessary to the full equality and citizenship—the personhood—of women in this country. They were defending abortion as opposed to the people who sometimes need abortions but always need to be treated as full constitutional persons under the law, whatever the outcome of their pregnancies."

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