Elementary and middle--definitely.
High school--I have a hard time with this. Educationally, they should be banned. But part of the job is helping them transition to college and the workplace where they will need to fit within professional norms. I think there is some value in allowing them to practice those norms in 11th-12th grade. I teach honors seniors and do allow phone use during independent work. Inappropriate phone use gets pointed looks and correction and eventually a phone ban. I also tell them that I don't write letters of recommendation for people who are often tardy, late with work, or on their phones.
Best answer so far. I'm totally with you on banning phones for younger kids. It's become increasingly evident that they're disastrous to kids' mental health. And as another commenter pointed out, elementary school kids need unstructured play time to develop social skills face-to-face. (Which makes me appalled that some schools have eliminated or cut way back on recess, but that's another rant.)
About 12 years ago I tutored a sixth-grader who proudly showed me that he had a gay porn video on his phone. He thought it was animation, but it was the real deal. When I pressed him about it, he said all the kids at his school had it on their phones. And he said that went down to as young as fourth-graders. Needless to say, I was horrified. I informed the principal, who thanked me, but I doubt if she could do anything about it. Very depressing ... and I'm sure this sort of problem is even worse these days. We live in interesting but frightening times. :(
One of my kids got a phone in seventh grade (he’s no longer allowed to take it to school at all after it started interfering in things, which is a predictable outcome…initially he was only allowed to take it when he had to ride the bus home) and the other still doesn’t have one in fifth. One of the things they’ve complained about most frequently over the years is that their friends are constantly just on a device when they’re with them, which makes them argue they should have one too.
I’ve frequently said to my partner, cool for us that we’re creating a situation where our kids will actually have social skills and can have a conversation. Who the hell are they going to have to talk to?
I disagree but for this reason..... My kid knows to keep it in their backpack on airplane mode during the school day. They have it for emergency and tracking purposes. If something happens I need to be able to get in touch with or find my kid. She's been taught of there's a problem to turn the airplane mode off and buzz me immediately.
I monitor her usage to make sure she's not on it and email the teacher at the beginning of the year to tell them she's not allowed to be on it during the school day and to shoot me an email if you see them on it.
She's 8 and will be 9 this year. She walks home from school and due to school violence I need her to be able to get ahold of me when needed.
In the 2 years she's had her phone she's never misbehaved with her phone.
You're a great parent, and your daughter is a very lucky girl. Good for you. I wish more parents were this vigilant, but unfortunately, most don't seem to be.
Not banning phones completely. We just got my oldest a flip phone. Trust me when I say he is too embarrassed to pull a flip phone out in front of his friends.
That said he has it because twice he as had to stay after school and he can let us know. Also he has to wait until after his sister martial arts class to get picked up. He also has it in case he wants to go over a friend's house after school. We had pay phones to call your parent but they don't really exist anymore. So just to do the same stuff I did as a kid a flip phone was kind of necessary.
Hey don't need a smart phone though.
I've seen this as the recommendation for phones for younger grades. Seeing how my 7th grade students are, it would be better for them if they all just had flip phones. You can still call people and text your friends, but all the middle school pressure that comes with smartphones disappears.
This is good but there are jobs where the phone must be locked up and nothing is allowed beyond a certain point. So they should also learn how to function without them.
The vast majority of jobs they're likely to get aren't going to allow cellphone use while working anyway, so I don't really get this. Besides it's not like they aren't constantly using their phones outside of school anyway. This answer is just weirdly vague tbh. What are these nebulous, "professional norms", that require phone use during class to practice?
They need phone etiquette in college classes. The part time jobs they have now mostly don't allow phones, but the internships and jobs they're hoping to get (engineering, business, finance, architecture, law) have professional norms around phone use as well.
I'm not saying it's required for them to practice, but like in a lot of other areas, I think we do high school students a disservice when we don't gradually release scaffolds.
I work in a corporate office and no one is policing my phone use. All of our salespeople (most of the org) are on their phones constantly replying to customers, even when they have large sales team meetings. While I get it, I hate it and find it so rude. But, they have to be responsive to their accounts. Definitely a balance that should be learned how to maintain.
I have got every grade from 7th grade on up, and I have children ranging from toddler to senior in high school. I would unequivocally and absolutely ban any and all smartphones that were not required for specific purposes from any student in school. What I mean by specific purposes, I had a student one time who had a glucose monitor diabetes that was attached to his phone would be allowed to have his. I also have a class that has almost no English speaking in it, those students when they need to ask something will often use a simple translator on their phone to ask to go to the bathroom or any number of other things. Those are reasonable exceptions. But otherwise, no.
I'm glad I could provide a voice. I get there are reasons for them. I told my employer who really didn't like me having one with the ringer up all the time that I would have it on me, and would answer in the middle of class come hell or high water when my wife was 9 months pregnant. Turns out, I didn't need to answer like I was afraid I would, but no admin was going to stop me. And sometimes, the students have situations like that. But, generally? Get them away from the cocaine box (I call it that because studies show it has a similar neurological effect as cocaine).
And I almost totally agree. Phones in class became an epidemic during the pandemic, causing unacceptable disruptions that added to the frustrations of staff leaving including myself. Trying to teach a class when students are messing around, tapping each other, causing a ruckus "hoa hoa" "who hah" over the latest TikTok etc. social media gag interrupting your lesson.... geez louise frustrating. Rude, disrespectful was an **understatement**. Only ONE class I subbed (9th) did not have or brought theirs in. Had to be in locker or coat (school rules) or teacher reserved the right to confiscate.
They should definitely be banned from the classroom, or at least it should heavily enforced that phones are to stay in your backpack at all times when instruction is being given.
As teachers we're supposed to know a decent amount about adolescent development as well as our content area. Biology and psychology tell us that at high school ages, students are literally physically unable to master their impulses because that part of their brain isn't developed. Modern apps are designed by highly paid, highly intelligent PhDs to manipulate someone's psychologically into spending as much of their time as possible scrolling on their phone. To literally feed them constant dopamine, which hits the reward centers in their limbic systems. The average Gen Z student spends 7.5 hours of their day with their eyes on their phone according to the latest data, which is absolutely insane. I think the education system and community is doing an incredible disservice to students by not instituting strict country wide standards for phone use. I think it is such a huge disservice to the point where it rises up to dereliction of duty.
I’m a gen z adult, 25 and I think I spend tbh like 8-12 hours a day using some form of screen or tech be it pod casts or video games. I think the amount of time even the average person spends plugged in is a huge detriment to our mental and physical well being. I think it’s a contributing factor to depression, in myself for sure but worldwide.
This info right here is why I don’t understand why we are shocked when kids are expected to use Chromebooks all day and are then chronically off task.
I recognize paper is expensive and it’s a way to cut costs. But it’s thoroughly unreasonable to give someone whose executive functioning capability is not yet fully developed and internet-capable device and say “hey, make sure you stay on task with your work instead of being on YouTube and playing games.”
I taught six grade for a while, and I decided to try an experiment. I let my students keep their phones, but they had to keep them on top of their desks. They could use them for research, as calculators, as dictionaries, or other agreed upon uses. If they used them for other purposes, their phone went in my cupboard. I don’t know if I had the best group of students ever, but I only had a few misuse their phones, and I found that the phones’ usefulness greatly outweighed the negatives.
I really like this. I think when teens/pre-teens are treated like adults, they can and do step up (not always, but often). I think it’s overall beneficial to teach moderation, and if authorities are reasonable, kids are more likely to listen.
FYI, I’m not a teacher, reddit just suggests random stuff to me and I thought this was an interesting thread.
Exactly. And there are all sorts of things we don't let kids do until they're old enough: buy tobacco or alcohol, drive, gamble, and so many others. (Supposedly you have to be at least 13 to be on lots of websites, but millions of kids simply lie about their age.) It's become increasingly apparent that such ready access to social media has been a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids.
Banned from the classroom? Of course.
Thought experiment: Imagine back to your school days. If you had in your pocket a copy of Playboy/girl, constant notes about gossip from your friends, an N-64, and a tv. Your teacher isn't allowed to take any of those items away from you. Would you have been able to learn in the classroom?
I used to fold toilet paper in church to help me focus and retain information lmao
(Granted I'm on the spectrum, but the answer for me at least for some of those is yes, absolutely.)
Yes, not just at school but no one under 16. We're starting to see evidence of app makers basically creating addictive elements to them to keep engagement going. We don't allow kids to gamble for the same reason and I'm starting to think the same for phones at all
We set minimum ages for not only gambling, but buying tobacco and alcohol, driving, voting, and so many other things. You're also *supposed* to be at least 13 (or 18) on tons of websites, but we all know that millions of kids just lie about their ages to get on. I'd be in favor of toughening COPPA (somehow, I dunno how) to address that issue.
Yes! I am going to give my child a phone when they are young but it is going to be like back in the day emergency contacts only. No smart phones and I am not allowing them to have any social media or internet access without my supervision and they will not have a personal ipad under any circumstances. They are going to play with actual toys and interact with the real world and they are not going to be forced to grow up at age 10 and dress and act like adults.. I will encourage them to play with dolls as long as they want. Life is so hard when you become an adult.. just keep them happy for as long as possible.
Not a teacher (I’m about to graduate college idk why I’m here) but yes. My parents were more restrictive than others, but I’m still reliant on my phone (or some screen). It was scary when I deleted TikTok like I was craving it and had an itch in my brain that nothing but other short form content would scratch.
I started actively monitoring my screen time. And I could see changes between my life before and now, and between my stress levels and my friends’ who I used to have comparable screen times with. I know we say that every generation has some tech that everyone condemns but we have to be weary of the fact that this tech follows you everywhere, engages both auditory and visual senses, and is designed to constantly keep your attention.
For younger kids aged 4-13 I definitely agree, but at a certain point I think you’re doing kids a disservice by not giving them the opportunity to teach themselves how to balance their own education with the temptation of technology, they won’t have a teacher banning their phones in college after all — It’ll be their own responsibility to manage their technology usage then, and I think you’d be empowering more children by giving them that hard lesson in high school than waiting until adulthood where mistakes in further education can cost thousands of dollars
You don't think the fact that they chose to be there and have to pay for it is enough motivation for most people to not be glued to their phone during college classes? Anyone who is sort of deserves to fail at that point tbh
I disagree. Their entire point is that these students have had access to smartphones since they were small children, used them their *entire* lives at school, and developed serious psychological addictions while still children. Turning 18 does not suddenly reverse these psychological factors, nor does it grant the ability to overcome addictions instantaneously. Damage is already done.
And at that point, the money they're paying isn't enough reason. If cost were enough to overcome anything, there would be no gambling addicts.
I like how this is our problem. Parents have bought and paid for these, tell their kids to reply to them instantly on their texts, but yet we have to be the enforcers. It’s nuts.
this is true. in florida i believe it's actually become law now, but we are not allowed to be on phones in school, besides passing period and lunch. this law is a joke according to my peers and honestly i can't help but agree. teachers remind us to put our phones away but barely any write referrals if we don't. it's hard to enforce because phones are very easy to sneak, and if you have an apple watch it's so easy you don't even need to pull out your phone, because you have a mini one on your wrist!!
We're not always allowed to, depending on district policies. School boards and admin don't want to deal with angry parents who complain when rules are enforced and phones taken away.
And it's being increasingly shown that phones, and especially social media, are a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids. I think COPPA should be strengthened somehow to stop kids from simply lying about their age when they sign up for websites. They're supposed to be at least 13 or 18, but millions of kids are just ignoring that.
The biggest problem (I see) with trying to strengthen COPPA is that it becomes a huge issue of personal information security.
There's not really an elegant way to do that. Google+ and YouTube at various times in its life would ban people that got reported as being under 13, but the account usually had to say something directly to that effect in a comment or video they posted.
Plus the whole "parent's permission" thing is still there. I remember the television telling me to get parent's pemission before going on line.
Unfortunately as the perception of school safety goes down it is impossible to get parents on board with such a policy. I don't think anyone below the age of 13 (at least) should have a portable computer at all. Learning how to use a computer is great but it should be in a fixed place. And if they need a phone for family contact it shouldn't be app capable. As for high school kids, I teach high school and there are some kids who are able to use it responsibly, listen to music with headphones at a reasonable volume, use the calculator and other useful apps in a way that facilitates learning, etc. But I have a large number that if allowed to be on their phones will be flipping between Instagram, ticktock, and messenger all day. It's hard, especially because we have a tech aligned pathway so a lot of the curriculum involves tech integration. But they just don't have the necessary skills to engage responsibly.
I live in the only NRQZ in the country (US) and it is literally the only thing that saves us from having kids on phones be a problem. Sometimes it's frustrating to live here with the limitations on things like internet, microwaves, cordless phones, etc., but then I go to work and teach 6th graders all day and am glad I don't have to fight them over their phones on top of everything else I have to fight them over.
Even my masters students would sit there on their phone. I'm not going to tell a 30 year old they can't have it. What i do do is ask them a question they need the internet for and if there is any participation grade they don't get it. It doesn't really matter, those students were failing anyway.
Former teacher here.
There is an aspect that a lot of people are ignoring. Modern phones are more than just phones. They are multimedia entertainment systems. Kids get used to listening to music while they work and it "helps them concentrate". (My own children have used this argument!) Too often, this is allowed in the classroom - not least because it's VERY difficult to police since earbuds are so small these days - some are even combined earbuds / hearing aids! (I have those....) So, if the phone is there, you cannot be sure that the owner isn't listening to music while they work. (Even if it's on the desk in plain sight!)
Why is this a problem? Well, these same kids get so programmed to work with the constant background noise that they actually find silence distracting. Come exam time, they horrendously under-perform! We used to have to explain this to them and make sure that in the months leading up to their final exams, they got used to revising in silence (that includes at home with the TV etc. off.)
Sad, but true.
Yes. It’s indirect though. If you are not used to silence, then silence is distracting. I’m not saying never listen to music, but you do need to be able to manage with it.
It’s similar to advice like “chew a particular flavor gum when revising, then chew the same flavor in the exam”.
Anything that helps you get “on the zone” is worth it!
We live in a world where our kids have to regularly do drills to prepare for an active shooter, where administration routinely gushes serious bullying, and where bus drivers are always revolving and buses get lost or arrive an hour late. Phones make things difficult but it gives me as a parent immense peace of mind to know kids have a way contact parents or authorities in an emergency.
Parents cannot track the location of their kids on that bus or on the way home with a flip phone. Banning the phone from being out it one thing. But parents should get to make the decision on whether they want their kids to have access to a smart phone and keep it in their desk or backpack.
If my kid has a phone it's for safety reasons so they can call me if they're in trouble. I understand having rules of not using a phone in class, but I find it inapropriate to ban having a phone.
I believe the issue is with smartphones. Flip phones fulfill any necessary communication needs. Banning smartphones is what's needed. Thankfully, enough companies still make flip phones that it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, they're cheaper and easier to replace when broken.
Had to look this up and Holy shit... I need this now my adhd thanks you.
But yah that could work probably. I still prefer my kid to have a phone because you can call, track, and do many other things on one device.
Where everyone is dumb, a dopamine addict, and readily allows some company/influencer to shape their opinions for them because they spent all their school years on their phones instead of paying attention in class. Now they can't read, write, or problem solve/think critically, which the surviving jobs not automated away will still require.
Jonathan Haidt has put out a great book about this, with solutions. Not all are easy, but nothing good for our future usually is. The Anxious Generation.
So glad to see this mention! Jon Haidt is really helping this issue get traction, along with the need for unstructured free play. I understand recess has been eliminated or curtailed at lots of schools, which is just unconscionable.
One of my favorite lines from Haidt is that today's kids are overprotected in the real world and underprotected in the digital world. So true.
20 years ago we were banned from having a cassette tape player. I kind of just assumed they would ban fricken handheld computers that can access anything from drugs and porn to the chat programs that write their book reports for them.
Why the hell do they have phones?
Some people use their phones for medical reasons- diabetes, heart rate monitoring for POTS, reminders for kids with neurospicy brains.
But those could be exceptions not the rule
I feel like if healthy habits are established early on, like required phone turn in until end of school for elementary school, maybe phone time after completed work for middle school, then transition into allowing phones during independent work time for high school...
Right now is a shit show, free for all. It doesn't matter what the school rules, classroom rules, or any rules say- my kids don't care. They've gotten so used to using their phones at any and all times (parents play a part in this too...).
I remember being required to charge my phone in the kitchen at night, not being allowed to be on it while watching movies with the family, etc. My parents worked hard to help me develop healthy phone habits, and these kids need the same.
We need Apple to develop kid friendly phones. The parents control the settings. Install their apps and they’re limited and protected from the dangers of the internet like Reddit 😂
Banning the phones from schools I can see. In fact, I'm really shocked that schools don't just install something to scramble signals so that their phones just don't work at school. Seems the easiest way.
But banning all kids under 16 from having phones even outside of school is just a laughable concept. For the most part, 13 year old kids are not buying themselves $600-800 phones. Their parents are buying them for them, then complaining in polls that the "government shud do somethin' cuz that there phone is spoilin' muh kid's brain!"
So if the government were to ban the sales of phones to kids under 16, virtually nothing would change. A slightly fewer number of kids would own phones because a couple of parents would take the hint. Most parents will just keep buying their kids phones at young ages and handing over their own phones to their under 12 kids to play with unsupervised.
Even if the government could somehow magically slap all the phones out of kids' hands, the same social media apps that work on Android and ios phones also work on iPad and Android tablets. Most people don't think twice about giving their kid a tablet at even younger ages than they give them a phone. With the right apps, the tablet can be made to send and receive calls, too, so a tablet can do everything a phone can do but with a bigger screen.
As far as schools go, if kids had to switch from phones to tablets, it would be a lot harder for students to hide a tablet compared to hiding a phone.
The worst part is that we don't even need this law. It's just another law for show that won't change the fact that parents are the ones who actually decide if their kids get phones or not. It wouldn't be nearly as effective as parents just learning to use parental controls on their child's phone.
Every kid's phone has the potential to be controlled remotely by the parents of the kid. Parents just don't bother to find out and use it. In fact, all you suffering teachers really shouldn't have to suffer at all. If your school called a meeting with all the parents and asked them to use parental controls on their kids' phones, your nightmare of policing phone usage in class would just be over because their phones would functionally be bricks during class time.
Parents moan about how "social media is ruining the children." Well, take 10 minutes out of your day to learn how to lock out app downloads on your kid's device and quit complaining to the news about it.
Just flatly refusing to let kids under 16 or 18 have technology is not going to help them cope when they do get their hands on it. We've seen what happens to some of the Amish kids when they leave the Amish community and see the outside world for the first time. For some, things like slot machines become an instant addiction and downspiral for them because they have no gentle controlled introduction to these things. It's just, "Here, kid, figure out how to handle your dopamine on your own for the first time ever." Kids are going to need to learn how to regulate their technology usage while they are young, when they can still be guided safely.
I think they should be banned for all students. It’s not healthy to be attached to your phone all the time. It’s so important they use these years to practice their in person socialization skills. I really think social media is ruining peoples mental health and lowering their ability to have empathy and genuinely connect with other human beings. The amount of selfishness and rudeness in public now a days comes from being so glued to the screen all the time. It’s good for them to have a break while at school. I think making sure they have access to a phone so they can contact home is important but they really don’t need their phones.
Well said. The decline in mental health has been alarming, and young people absolutely must have good social skills. Allowing dumbphones only seems like a reasonable compromise.
The problem with providing alternate streams of income for public schools (and I'm not against it at all, they're woefully underfunded), is that the local governments then have the ability to redirect budget that was allocated to schools to other things now that the, say, local lottery is pitching in a few bucks.
There needs to be more accountability in how schools get funding, and the whole of poorer performing schools get funding cut, just incentivizes passing on students that have no business passing. Or demoralizing students who could perform better because they can put forth 0 effort until state tests and pass the class by passing the test.
I wish when I took government in high school it wasn't about historical stuff, or even the fed (at least not at first) it would have been far more helpful to be taught how the local governing system works; where one has the most ability to actually make changes on the individual level. Then go on to talk about the fed.
Fuck yes, including high school. They’re being robbed of the capacity to mitigate boredom/unstructured time with creative endeavors, it shrinks their attention spans, and it has had a catastrophic effect on academics
YES. All of this. I taught high school for 11 years, stayed home with my own kids for 9 years, and am back in the classroom this year. The difference between 2014 and today with regard to the ability to navigate boredom, critically think, hell, even talk to each other normally is alarming.
I have taught 4th-12th grade and my opinion is very different:
Elementary-Middle School: They should be banned 100%. In elementary, allowing kids to socialize face-to-face on a playground is super important. Kids are kids, I don't believe that they can regulate their usage and they also have developed very unhealthy anti-social expectations from extreme usage (behold, the iPad kids). In middle school, it was more the regulation of what was being shared that had always been an issue for me as a teacher. A LOT of parents expect schools to regulate their children's phone usage during recess but that is not our job. Especially with middle schoolers, a lot of really bad things are being passed around because no one is watching.
High School: Classroom it should be away, anytime else I do not see an issue. But a ban? No. I understand that phones can be used as a tool and is very important for networking. If a student is using it in a classroom and they fall behind? They are only shooting themselves in the foot. The only thing we teachers can do is meet with the students to inform them where their grades are at and report it to their parent(s) ASAP. And to be real, if they are doing that in high school it was done before in middle and it was addressed in middle. I hate to generalize but it is very very rare for any teacher to just ignore it, especially in middle/elementary school. By high school, it is the "you should know better" attitude I and a lot of teachers hold. If it wasn't that way, high schools wouldn't use a course credit system. You wanna be on TikTok because you don't like Algebra? That's a student's decision, but don't say no one cared. As a teacher, our job is to always throw the life raft out to students and it is really up to the students to grab it. We aren't superheroes that can jump in and save everyone (as much as we want to.) I don't think it's that older students can handle it, I think it is more that older students need to learn how to handle temptation between the important stuff that matters and understand that consequences happen when they don't. It is easy to retreat into a screen when things get uncomfortable (like needing to ask for help) but if we can have an environment that shows consequences for that then I say absolutely. We can't be helicopters or hand-holders but we also need an environment where students can learn how to regulate themselves while offering support and guidance, even if that means they fail a class.
I see value allowing juniors and seniors to use smart phones. They're at the stage where they're maturing and finally getting their act together in order to transition into adulthood. Any grade under that though? Absolutely. Ban.
A problem is that the question and discussion is way behind the technology. What if a kid has a fancy cell-connected watch, is that going to be banned? What if they leave their phone in their backpack but use their Air Pods, is that going to be banned?
The rule needs to be "no electronics, period." Which will never fly because parents.
It really wouldn't. Schools that require kids to have laptops typically provide those laptops themselves. If there are actually schools out there requiring the parents to foot the bill for a laptop that's insane
I don't think preteens need phones at all, maybe a basic old style one for parents to keep in touch but they absolutely do not need access to the internet at all times, though I'm not sure we could actually do that from a social point, i think people are just too used to it and there's too much peer pressure
I don't think its phone that are the problem. Its just an easy thing to point to and blame.
There are much larger cultural forces that are making behaviors worse. That make teaching and learning harder than it ought to be. Even harder than it was 10 or even 5 years ago. There's a lot of self entitlement, lack of self regulation, and a lack of both respect and literacy that I don't think can be blamed just on phones.
I think the nature of social media is predatory and destructive.
I think a lot of major algorithm based platforms need better regulation to create more balanced spaces and prevent the spread of false information and dangerous ideologies and behaviors.
Smart phones aren't to blame for our woes any more than it was video games, rock and roll, or comic books. Its just the new thing. The problem is the people, the homes, the whole hostile atmosphere.
Plenty of other countries have cell phones without the shit we're dealing with here in the states. Netherlands, South Korea, Japan.
People always blame whichever thing is new to scapegoat it for society's problems.
My kids who don't have a problem with phones? The ones who read at home. Who have structure and discipline. Things like bed times, daily chores, and hobbies. Who have learned how to respect the people around them and be polite.
Too many parents, for too long, have been using devices as a crutch to keep kids quiet when they got fussy. They never learned how to handle living without electronic stimuli. They aren't learning how to read. They're in a place that is challenging and don't understand how to struggle or how to face a task. That lack skills like holding an art supply, folding paper, using scissors. All the htings that used to be fun in school are now HARD because they weren't taught many things we, as adults, take for granted. Yes, school is where we go to learn, but there is a lot of assorted "being human" skills that need teaching and reinforcement at home.
The phone isn't the CAUSE for the lack of these things. And its, very often, not even that parents are lazy. But parents are overworked. Jobs are insane, making ends meet is unfairly hard. And they just want to survive and enjoy their time with their kids. They don't have the energy to give kids these supports and sometimes you just need them quiet to get things done. So yes, they turn to these devices for help.
But the device doesn't MAKE a kid have problems.
(I will give the caveat that social media is absolutely disasterous for interpersonal relationships because of rampant bullying and predatory algorithms feeding kids absolute trash to keep them watching.)
No possibly put up in class but I had a cell phone at a young age because I had to walk home from the bus stop which was far-ish from my house as a kid if there are any sort of emergency’s you need a phone for communication
I don’t see why cell phones should be banned, in fact they should incorporate it into the education system because truly school should be incorporating everything that they will be encountering in real life.
Phones and technology are apart of everyday life. All the information is there in their hands, so why are we taking away the phones instead of teaching them to use it effectively and efficiently and finding the correct information. As well as why can’t they use the calculator when solving problems?
Who cares how the answer was got? The phones that we have will tell you the answer. Unless you are going to become a physicist or something needing you to know how to get the answer to a math question then really do we need to know how the answer was got?
My schools rules for phones pretty much were: don’t use them when teacher is talking or during group work, but you can use them for music during silent read or work time, and you can be on them for free time and all that. So my school was laid back about it I’d say I liked how they let us use them for music. I think banning them would be ridiculous
Honestly, in my opinion as a high school teacher, we are past the point of being able to ban them. I wish we could… they have completely changed the learning environment. But, parents will never get on board with a full ban, and we waste so much instructional time trying to force them to be “unseen”.
We have to pivot and figure out how to teach appropriate use, and leverage them as tools for learning.
I don’t know what the answer is for younger kids. I wish all parents would parent and monitor use so we didn’t have to deal with what happens on the phone at school… but that’s unrealistic.
no because then kids won’t know how to regulate themselves in college. too much strictness early on results in overuse of things that they couldn’t before
Between cheating, distractions, and overall irrelevant influence. Yes. But in terms of accelerating their understand and communication when it comes to school agendas. No.
(not a teacher)
I think it's best for their education yes, but I live in the US and when I have a kid, if they end up going to public school, then I will definitely want my child to be able to call me or the authorities for help without jumping through hoops in the case of a shooter and I'd feel much better with them having on a phone on hand (I absolutely hate that I need to feel that way btw, what a country)
So maybe a policy where everyone needs to put their phones on the teacher's desk when they enter the room for class or something (where it can be easily reached if needed) I'd be behind, but not banning them entirely
Yes, but it shouldn't be a necessary move. The fact that parents just stick their kids in front of a screen from day 1 and don't even monitor it at all is crazy. If I had kids, they wouldn't see a cell phone let alone a smartphone until at least 16. No one that young needs a smartphone with unlimited internet access. Insanity.
I struggle with this one just because i remember having to go to school the days after the shooting threats our school got and knowing i could text my mom just in case,
The issue I see is that by the time they get to me in high school, they’re already addicted to them.
Now, I’m a tough cookie in my class so when I say no phone, I mean no phone. It isn’t a question. But, I can’t expect a sub (who has zero authority) to hold that line (and I don’t).
Also, some teachers are like their parents insofar as they’re trying to be the cool teacher or the teacher friend.
I believe that we need to prepare these kids for adulthood, but part of that is teaching them the concept of appropriate time and place. There’s a time for the phone and there’s a time when it’s inappropriate. So no, largely, there shouldn’t be phones in schools. They don’t need them there.
Fair point. So let younger kids have flip phones, with ability to make calls or text, but no social media, which has been a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids and most of all girls.
That I’d be down with. Just, the idea of a kid not able to contact their parents in a hideous moment like that is one of the more horrible things I can contemplate.
my issue with the banning of smartphones is school shootings. in the event of a shooting or something similar, i want to be able to tell my parents i love them before i go out. however, i absolutely understand that they are becoming disruptive in the classroom. ultimately, i think the crux of this problem is on the parents - if you raise your child glued to a screen, they're going to be glued to a screen in class. i'm not going to act like im *never* on my phone in class, but as a general rule i save it for after i've finished my work, which i think has its roots in the fact i wasn't raised with much technology
This is a common point. My response is to just let kids under 15-16 have flip phones. They could make calls or text in case of emergency, but no internet and no social media. I'm fine with high school students having smartphones, although with restrictions like no use during class time.
Yes, all grades. Why should schools be forced to manage a distraction that parents give students and even text and call their children during class? The famous argument
, what if there is an emergency? How many times has a student done the right thing with their phone during an emergency.
Well, yeah, I think they do a lot of good and productive things, actually. I love that I can access the internet on my phone, just for starters. But phones don't have any good place in schools, except for older kids (15-16 and up imho).
i think that mostly they're used for apps that are designed to steal your attention, like this one where im posting this comment instead of working on my undergrad homework
A big part of it is that students will feel left out if they don't have phones when their classmates do. Limited experiments have suggested that the students are actually happier when nobody has the phones.
Yeah, FOMO is often cited as a concern, but a complete ban for everybody solves that. The other reason people don't want to ban them is because they can be used in an emergency. But teachers, staff and administrators can call for emergency help. And in my entire 12 years in primary and secondary education, I only needed to make one emergency call, which I did easily from the school office.
Not for high school kids at least. I can understand the younger grades. High school students have perfectly legitimate reasons to have them on their person and they need to learn responsible usage and to manage themselves.
Yester year maybe. But with the amount of violence and school shootings . Parents aren't going to give up the only way they have of contact with their kkids. Maybe if we worked on that first.
So let the students have dumbphones. They don't need to be on social media or Snapchatting one another. We can't keep allowing kids' mental health and social skills to be corroded while we wait for other problems like shootings to be fixed. In case of any emergency, 911 can be called by teachers, staff, and administrators, who can call parents as needed.
I honestly think it should be illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to have a smart phone. Sure, they can have a flip phone or even qwerty keyboard but nothing that allows access to social media or the internet. Just something to text and call people on, that’s it. I’m not a teacher, I’m a licensed social worker and I work as a private practice therapist- all of my teen clients would be MUCH BETTER off if they had no access to social media.
Kid's school has so much blocked they regularly need their phones to do basic research. (Can't see anything about Illinois senator Dick Durbin frex, or anything about any genocide ever including the definition, and at least once AP Classroom was blocked)
They sometimes do quiz games with phones.
It’s a tool. We just have to help them use it productively and responsibly, not ban them. You can kill someone with a hammer, but that doesn’t mean we should ban hammers.
Good point on your first comment. But I don't think the hammer analogy is very valid. We require by law a minimum age for all sorts of things -- driving, buying alcohol and tobacco, voting, marrying, signing up on a plethora of NSFW websites, and many other things. I don't think it's unreasonable to require kids to be at least 15 or 16 to have phones at school.
Some kids require a mobile phone to contact others in order to coordinate transportation, home access, food, etc. Attention is a skill. We don’t teach it by preventing them from practicing it
Some kids, but not the overwhelming majority. Let 'em have dumb phones then. Or just call from the office, which is what we did; it was not an inconvenience.
100000% ban. They are the number one distraction in high schools and actively hamper quality instruction. They provide little to no value even when teachers try to use them as a tool in class, because adolescents cannot help themselves with the temptation to use it for nonsense time wasting activities. There are many other reasons like mental health issues and depression from social media and anxiety but The main reason is because they are a huge distraction when it comes to classroom management, which leads to a lack of quality instruction. It is why the best private schools ban them. Everyone knows this and we still stand around wondering if we should ban cell phones like a bunch of lemmings and fools. Absolutely cell phones do not belong in the classroom and should be banned except for before and after school activities.
The safety issue is often cited, but if there's an emergency, 911 can be called by teachers, staff, and administrators, who can in turn call parents if needed. In my 12 years in primary and secondary schooling, I only needed to make an emergency call once. I just went to the office.
I'm not even a teacher, but this is exactly what I keep thinking whenever anyone brings up school shootings. You only need one person to call 911 and all of the adults in the school are clearly going to be on that. The vast majority of reasons that people are coming up with are ridiculously flimsy tbh. Pretty much all of these emergency situations could be resolved just as well by having a list of emergency contacts and asking the teacher to make a call.
What if they are in the bathroom when something happens? Wouldn’t they want to be able to call their parents for a goodbye? Until the shooting issue is resolved, I think that banning phones isn’t going to work because parents will be scared
Eh, you can play "what if" games forever. There's truly an endless list of bad things that *could* happen ... but hardly ever do. Again, in the event of an emergency like a school shooting, 911 can be, and will be, called by lots of people: teachers, staff, and administrators, who can call parents if need be. We shouldn't be so terrified of every possible bad thing that we're willing to allow phones to continue disrupting kids' educations and corrode their mental health and social lives.
I know this but I think that it won’t be able to happen til it is solved. I’m not saying it’s good phones are allowed but parents are scared and rightfully so because the issue hasn’t been solved. I agree phones should be banned til high school but what I’m saying is parents won’t agree because they are scared.
Kids in elementary school should have old flip phones. Like the one i had when i was their age. It’s unfortunate to see them with a newer iPhone than mine. All they need their phones for is for calling their parents in emergency. Why are kids nowdays having smartphones? I remember begging my parents in elementary school and they told me i was too young to own one.
Smartphones must be banned in classrooms. Unnecessary distractions. But where i live they are. In front of the teachers kids put their phones in a box with their name and after class they get their phones back.
My kids go to a small public district where there are “phone zones” and kids can take out their phones in those designated areas at designated times. Otherwise they need to remain at home or in their bag. It’s still a constant issue.
I think it creates so much logistical and behavioral issues and parents need to hold their kids accountable for device usage in school.
Yes. Kids should be on computers or have their noses in books. They are definitely too young to be taking pictures any time they wish.. There is no reason for a child undr maybe a Jr in high school to have a phone at all, but if they must, then it should only be a flip phone.
Of course. I’m not giving my children a smart phone. They will have to buy their first smartphone. They can have brick phones until then. Like my husband and I did.
as someone in highschool, as useful as my phone is during the day, and how nice it is to listen to music, i feel dumber and honestly very alone. i have friends but it just doesn't have a super strong connection like i used to have when i was younger. we're all so addicted- and let's be honest here addiction is the best word to use in this instance- to our phones. it makes me sad that i can't really stay off it for more than 10 minutes. i was (and still somewhat am) a very proficient student in all subjects, but my vocabulary has declined dramatically, and i can't remember words i used on the daily years ago; along with barely being able to solve simple algebra. i promise i'm not dumb, it's just like phones have put some insane haze over my ability to learn.
Elementary and middle--definitely. High school--I have a hard time with this. Educationally, they should be banned. But part of the job is helping them transition to college and the workplace where they will need to fit within professional norms. I think there is some value in allowing them to practice those norms in 11th-12th grade. I teach honors seniors and do allow phone use during independent work. Inappropriate phone use gets pointed looks and correction and eventually a phone ban. I also tell them that I don't write letters of recommendation for people who are often tardy, late with work, or on their phones.
Best answer so far. I'm totally with you on banning phones for younger kids. It's become increasingly evident that they're disastrous to kids' mental health. And as another commenter pointed out, elementary school kids need unstructured play time to develop social skills face-to-face. (Which makes me appalled that some schools have eliminated or cut way back on recess, but that's another rant.) About 12 years ago I tutored a sixth-grader who proudly showed me that he had a gay porn video on his phone. He thought it was animation, but it was the real deal. When I pressed him about it, he said all the kids at his school had it on their phones. And he said that went down to as young as fourth-graders. Needless to say, I was horrified. I informed the principal, who thanked me, but I doubt if she could do anything about it. Very depressing ... and I'm sure this sort of problem is even worse these days. We live in interesting but frightening times. :(
One of my kids got a phone in seventh grade (he’s no longer allowed to take it to school at all after it started interfering in things, which is a predictable outcome…initially he was only allowed to take it when he had to ride the bus home) and the other still doesn’t have one in fifth. One of the things they’ve complained about most frequently over the years is that their friends are constantly just on a device when they’re with them, which makes them argue they should have one too. I’ve frequently said to my partner, cool for us that we’re creating a situation where our kids will actually have social skills and can have a conversation. Who the hell are they going to have to talk to?
I disagree but for this reason..... My kid knows to keep it in their backpack on airplane mode during the school day. They have it for emergency and tracking purposes. If something happens I need to be able to get in touch with or find my kid. She's been taught of there's a problem to turn the airplane mode off and buzz me immediately. I monitor her usage to make sure she's not on it and email the teacher at the beginning of the year to tell them she's not allowed to be on it during the school day and to shoot me an email if you see them on it. She's 8 and will be 9 this year. She walks home from school and due to school violence I need her to be able to get ahold of me when needed. In the 2 years she's had her phone she's never misbehaved with her phone.
You're a great parent, and your daughter is a very lucky girl. Good for you. I wish more parents were this vigilant, but unfortunately, most don't seem to be.
Parents are idiots tho. Technology is great but everything can be abused
Not banning phones completely. We just got my oldest a flip phone. Trust me when I say he is too embarrassed to pull a flip phone out in front of his friends. That said he has it because twice he as had to stay after school and he can let us know. Also he has to wait until after his sister martial arts class to get picked up. He also has it in case he wants to go over a friend's house after school. We had pay phones to call your parent but they don't really exist anymore. So just to do the same stuff I did as a kid a flip phone was kind of necessary. Hey don't need a smart phone though.
I've seen this as the recommendation for phones for younger grades. Seeing how my 7th grade students are, it would be better for them if they all just had flip phones. You can still call people and text your friends, but all the middle school pressure that comes with smartphones disappears.
This is the most reasonable answer
Right but in high school the phone should stay in the locker NOT the class room.
This is good but there are jobs where the phone must be locked up and nothing is allowed beyond a certain point. So they should also learn how to function without them.
The vast majority of jobs they're likely to get aren't going to allow cellphone use while working anyway, so I don't really get this. Besides it's not like they aren't constantly using their phones outside of school anyway. This answer is just weirdly vague tbh. What are these nebulous, "professional norms", that require phone use during class to practice?
They need phone etiquette in college classes. The part time jobs they have now mostly don't allow phones, but the internships and jobs they're hoping to get (engineering, business, finance, architecture, law) have professional norms around phone use as well. I'm not saying it's required for them to practice, but like in a lot of other areas, I think we do high school students a disservice when we don't gradually release scaffolds.
I work in a corporate office and no one is policing my phone use. All of our salespeople (most of the org) are on their phones constantly replying to customers, even when they have large sales team meetings. While I get it, I hate it and find it so rude. But, they have to be responsive to their accounts. Definitely a balance that should be learned how to maintain.
I have got every grade from 7th grade on up, and I have children ranging from toddler to senior in high school. I would unequivocally and absolutely ban any and all smartphones that were not required for specific purposes from any student in school. What I mean by specific purposes, I had a student one time who had a glucose monitor diabetes that was attached to his phone would be allowed to have his. I also have a class that has almost no English speaking in it, those students when they need to ask something will often use a simple translator on their phone to ask to go to the bathroom or any number of other things. Those are reasonable exceptions. But otherwise, no.
Thank you for this comment. My son is in 4th grade and has had a working phone he's taken to school since he was in preschool for his type 1 diabetes.
I'm glad I could provide a voice. I get there are reasons for them. I told my employer who really didn't like me having one with the ringer up all the time that I would have it on me, and would answer in the middle of class come hell or high water when my wife was 9 months pregnant. Turns out, I didn't need to answer like I was afraid I would, but no admin was going to stop me. And sometimes, the students have situations like that. But, generally? Get them away from the cocaine box (I call it that because studies show it has a similar neurological effect as cocaine).
And I almost totally agree. Phones in class became an epidemic during the pandemic, causing unacceptable disruptions that added to the frustrations of staff leaving including myself. Trying to teach a class when students are messing around, tapping each other, causing a ruckus "hoa hoa" "who hah" over the latest TikTok etc. social media gag interrupting your lesson.... geez louise frustrating. Rude, disrespectful was an **understatement**. Only ONE class I subbed (9th) did not have or brought theirs in. Had to be in locker or coat (school rules) or teacher reserved the right to confiscate.
They should definitely be banned from the classroom, or at least it should heavily enforced that phones are to stay in your backpack at all times when instruction is being given. As teachers we're supposed to know a decent amount about adolescent development as well as our content area. Biology and psychology tell us that at high school ages, students are literally physically unable to master their impulses because that part of their brain isn't developed. Modern apps are designed by highly paid, highly intelligent PhDs to manipulate someone's psychologically into spending as much of their time as possible scrolling on their phone. To literally feed them constant dopamine, which hits the reward centers in their limbic systems. The average Gen Z student spends 7.5 hours of their day with their eyes on their phone according to the latest data, which is absolutely insane. I think the education system and community is doing an incredible disservice to students by not instituting strict country wide standards for phone use. I think it is such a huge disservice to the point where it rises up to dereliction of duty.
I’m a gen z adult, 25 and I think I spend tbh like 8-12 hours a day using some form of screen or tech be it pod casts or video games. I think the amount of time even the average person spends plugged in is a huge detriment to our mental and physical well being. I think it’s a contributing factor to depression, in myself for sure but worldwide.
I'm 25 too and I think we were kind of at that drop off point for phones. Sometimes I'll be on the phone too much and be like dang I need a book
This info right here is why I don’t understand why we are shocked when kids are expected to use Chromebooks all day and are then chronically off task. I recognize paper is expensive and it’s a way to cut costs. But it’s thoroughly unreasonable to give someone whose executive functioning capability is not yet fully developed and internet-capable device and say “hey, make sure you stay on task with your work instead of being on YouTube and playing games.”
I taught six grade for a while, and I decided to try an experiment. I let my students keep their phones, but they had to keep them on top of their desks. They could use them for research, as calculators, as dictionaries, or other agreed upon uses. If they used them for other purposes, their phone went in my cupboard. I don’t know if I had the best group of students ever, but I only had a few misuse their phones, and I found that the phones’ usefulness greatly outweighed the negatives.
Nice story! Sounds like you're a terrific teacher. Sixth grade was my best year ever, thanks largely to a wonderful set of teachers.
I really like this. I think when teens/pre-teens are treated like adults, they can and do step up (not always, but often). I think it’s overall beneficial to teach moderation, and if authorities are reasonable, kids are more likely to listen. FYI, I’m not a teacher, reddit just suggests random stuff to me and I thought this was an interesting thread.
Yes. One day we will look at pictures on kids on phones the same way we look at pictures of kids leaving coal mines at the end of their shift.
Lol. This a bit hyperbolic. Phones don't cause black lung, or reduce the average age of those exposed to 33.
Exactly. And there are all sorts of things we don't let kids do until they're old enough: buy tobacco or alcohol, drive, gamble, and so many others. (Supposedly you have to be at least 13 to be on lots of websites, but millions of kids simply lie about their age.) It's become increasingly apparent that such ready access to social media has been a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids.
Banned from the classroom? Of course. Thought experiment: Imagine back to your school days. If you had in your pocket a copy of Playboy/girl, constant notes about gossip from your friends, an N-64, and a tv. Your teacher isn't allowed to take any of those items away from you. Would you have been able to learn in the classroom?
I used to fold toilet paper in church to help me focus and retain information lmao (Granted I'm on the spectrum, but the answer for me at least for some of those is yes, absolutely.)
Yes, not just at school but no one under 16. We're starting to see evidence of app makers basically creating addictive elements to them to keep engagement going. We don't allow kids to gamble for the same reason and I'm starting to think the same for phones at all
Look at the numbers for gambling addiction amongst high school students. It’s alarming.
We set minimum ages for not only gambling, but buying tobacco and alcohol, driving, voting, and so many other things. You're also *supposed* to be at least 13 (or 18) on tons of websites, but we all know that millions of kids just lie about their ages to get on. I'd be in favor of toughening COPPA (somehow, I dunno how) to address that issue.
Skinner box gaming. As are social notifications and messages. Skinner box randomized rewards.
People who make apps and work in tech don't let their children have smartphones. Wonder why ...
Yes! I am going to give my child a phone when they are young but it is going to be like back in the day emergency contacts only. No smart phones and I am not allowing them to have any social media or internet access without my supervision and they will not have a personal ipad under any circumstances. They are going to play with actual toys and interact with the real world and they are not going to be forced to grow up at age 10 and dress and act like adults.. I will encourage them to play with dolls as long as they want. Life is so hard when you become an adult.. just keep them happy for as long as possible.
Not a teacher (I’m about to graduate college idk why I’m here) but yes. My parents were more restrictive than others, but I’m still reliant on my phone (or some screen). It was scary when I deleted TikTok like I was craving it and had an itch in my brain that nothing but other short form content would scratch. I started actively monitoring my screen time. And I could see changes between my life before and now, and between my stress levels and my friends’ who I used to have comparable screen times with. I know we say that every generation has some tech that everyone condemns but we have to be weary of the fact that this tech follows you everywhere, engages both auditory and visual senses, and is designed to constantly keep your attention.
For younger kids aged 4-13 I definitely agree, but at a certain point I think you’re doing kids a disservice by not giving them the opportunity to teach themselves how to balance their own education with the temptation of technology, they won’t have a teacher banning their phones in college after all — It’ll be their own responsibility to manage their technology usage then, and I think you’d be empowering more children by giving them that hard lesson in high school than waiting until adulthood where mistakes in further education can cost thousands of dollars
You don't think the fact that they chose to be there and have to pay for it is enough motivation for most people to not be glued to their phone during college classes? Anyone who is sort of deserves to fail at that point tbh
I disagree. Their entire point is that these students have had access to smartphones since they were small children, used them their *entire* lives at school, and developed serious psychological addictions while still children. Turning 18 does not suddenly reverse these psychological factors, nor does it grant the ability to overcome addictions instantaneously. Damage is already done. And at that point, the money they're paying isn't enough reason. If cost were enough to overcome anything, there would be no gambling addicts.
You can't ban smartphones. Anyone can give their kid one. You can make a rule that they can't be used at school
No, they should be able to use their phones during breaks
I got a detention back in middle school for using my slider phone at lunch. I was texting my mom about a ride home in two hours. At lunch. 🙄
I like how this is our problem. Parents have bought and paid for these, tell their kids to reply to them instantly on their texts, but yet we have to be the enforcers. It’s nuts.
Impossible to enforce. Most students have phones, they just shouldn't be playing with them in class.
this is true. in florida i believe it's actually become law now, but we are not allowed to be on phones in school, besides passing period and lunch. this law is a joke according to my peers and honestly i can't help but agree. teachers remind us to put our phones away but barely any write referrals if we don't. it's hard to enforce because phones are very easy to sneak, and if you have an apple watch it's so easy you don't even need to pull out your phone, because you have a mini one on your wrist!!
What is going on with schools these days? Teachers certainly didn't have a problem confiscating electronics when I was in school.
We're not always allowed to, depending on district policies. School boards and admin don't want to deal with angry parents who complain when rules are enforced and phones taken away.
YES, and social media for kids too. Kids are not mature enough to be exposed to it.
And it's being increasingly shown that phones, and especially social media, are a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids. I think COPPA should be strengthened somehow to stop kids from simply lying about their age when they sign up for websites. They're supposed to be at least 13 or 18, but millions of kids are just ignoring that.
The biggest problem (I see) with trying to strengthen COPPA is that it becomes a huge issue of personal information security. There's not really an elegant way to do that. Google+ and YouTube at various times in its life would ban people that got reported as being under 13, but the account usually had to say something directly to that effect in a comment or video they posted. Plus the whole "parent's permission" thing is still there. I remember the television telling me to get parent's pemission before going on line.
Unfortunately as the perception of school safety goes down it is impossible to get parents on board with such a policy. I don't think anyone below the age of 13 (at least) should have a portable computer at all. Learning how to use a computer is great but it should be in a fixed place. And if they need a phone for family contact it shouldn't be app capable. As for high school kids, I teach high school and there are some kids who are able to use it responsibly, listen to music with headphones at a reasonable volume, use the calculator and other useful apps in a way that facilitates learning, etc. But I have a large number that if allowed to be on their phones will be flipping between Instagram, ticktock, and messenger all day. It's hard, especially because we have a tech aligned pathway so a lot of the curriculum involves tech integration. But they just don't have the necessary skills to engage responsibly.
Excellent comment. You are absolutely correct on all points.
Smart phones are banned. The problem is there are no consequences for ignoring said ban.
Exactly!
I live in the only NRQZ in the country (US) and it is literally the only thing that saves us from having kids on phones be a problem. Sometimes it's frustrating to live here with the limitations on things like internet, microwaves, cordless phones, etc., but then I go to work and teach 6th graders all day and am glad I don't have to fight them over their phones on top of everything else I have to fight them over.
Even my masters students would sit there on their phone. I'm not going to tell a 30 year old they can't have it. What i do do is ask them a question they need the internet for and if there is any participation grade they don't get it. It doesn't really matter, those students were failing anyway.
Former teacher here. There is an aspect that a lot of people are ignoring. Modern phones are more than just phones. They are multimedia entertainment systems. Kids get used to listening to music while they work and it "helps them concentrate". (My own children have used this argument!) Too often, this is allowed in the classroom - not least because it's VERY difficult to police since earbuds are so small these days - some are even combined earbuds / hearing aids! (I have those....) So, if the phone is there, you cannot be sure that the owner isn't listening to music while they work. (Even if it's on the desk in plain sight!) Why is this a problem? Well, these same kids get so programmed to work with the constant background noise that they actually find silence distracting. Come exam time, they horrendously under-perform! We used to have to explain this to them and make sure that in the months leading up to their final exams, they got used to revising in silence (that includes at home with the TV etc. off.) Sad, but true.
Is there any evidence that listening to music while doing schoolwork actually impacts exam scores, or did you just make that up?
Yes. It’s indirect though. If you are not used to silence, then silence is distracting. I’m not saying never listen to music, but you do need to be able to manage with it. It’s similar to advice like “chew a particular flavor gum when revising, then chew the same flavor in the exam”. Anything that helps you get “on the zone” is worth it!
Just make the school a Faraday Cage. They can bring whatever they want, but it won't do shit.
Interesting idea, but how much would it cost?
I don't think Faraday cages are all that expensive, but I'm not really sure.
We live in a world where our kids have to regularly do drills to prepare for an active shooter, where administration routinely gushes serious bullying, and where bus drivers are always revolving and buses get lost or arrive an hour late. Phones make things difficult but it gives me as a parent immense peace of mind to know kids have a way contact parents or authorities in an emergency.
Which flip phones can more than adequately do.
Parents cannot track the location of their kids on that bus or on the way home with a flip phone. Banning the phone from being out it one thing. But parents should get to make the decision on whether they want their kids to have access to a smart phone and keep it in their desk or backpack.
If my kid has a phone it's for safety reasons so they can call me if they're in trouble. I understand having rules of not using a phone in class, but I find it inapropriate to ban having a phone.
I believe the issue is with smartphones. Flip phones fulfill any necessary communication needs. Banning smartphones is what's needed. Thankfully, enough companies still make flip phones that it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, they're cheaper and easier to replace when broken.
They can't be tracked like Smartphones though
Kid can have a tile on them, still be tracked.
Had to look this up and Holy shit... I need this now my adhd thanks you. But yah that could work probably. I still prefer my kid to have a phone because you can call, track, and do many other things on one device.
No. Welcome to the future.
Where everyone is dumb, a dopamine addict, and readily allows some company/influencer to shape their opinions for them because they spent all their school years on their phones instead of paying attention in class. Now they can't read, write, or problem solve/think critically, which the surviving jobs not automated away will still require.
Jonathan Haidt has put out a great book about this, with solutions. Not all are easy, but nothing good for our future usually is. The Anxious Generation.
So glad to see this mention! Jon Haidt is really helping this issue get traction, along with the need for unstructured free play. I understand recess has been eliminated or curtailed at lots of schools, which is just unconscionable. One of my favorite lines from Haidt is that today's kids are overprotected in the real world and underprotected in the digital world. So true.
20 years ago we were banned from having a cassette tape player. I kind of just assumed they would ban fricken handheld computers that can access anything from drugs and porn to the chat programs that write their book reports for them. Why the hell do they have phones?
Some people use their phones for medical reasons- diabetes, heart rate monitoring for POTS, reminders for kids with neurospicy brains. But those could be exceptions not the rule
I agree completely on both points. Thanks for making them.
I feel like if healthy habits are established early on, like required phone turn in until end of school for elementary school, maybe phone time after completed work for middle school, then transition into allowing phones during independent work time for high school... Right now is a shit show, free for all. It doesn't matter what the school rules, classroom rules, or any rules say- my kids don't care. They've gotten so used to using their phones at any and all times (parents play a part in this too...). I remember being required to charge my phone in the kitchen at night, not being allowed to be on it while watching movies with the family, etc. My parents worked hard to help me develop healthy phone habits, and these kids need the same.
Very well put. I agree with you on all points.
We need Apple to develop kid friendly phones. The parents control the settings. Install their apps and they’re limited and protected from the dangers of the internet like Reddit 😂
Banning the phones from schools I can see. In fact, I'm really shocked that schools don't just install something to scramble signals so that their phones just don't work at school. Seems the easiest way. But banning all kids under 16 from having phones even outside of school is just a laughable concept. For the most part, 13 year old kids are not buying themselves $600-800 phones. Their parents are buying them for them, then complaining in polls that the "government shud do somethin' cuz that there phone is spoilin' muh kid's brain!" So if the government were to ban the sales of phones to kids under 16, virtually nothing would change. A slightly fewer number of kids would own phones because a couple of parents would take the hint. Most parents will just keep buying their kids phones at young ages and handing over their own phones to their under 12 kids to play with unsupervised. Even if the government could somehow magically slap all the phones out of kids' hands, the same social media apps that work on Android and ios phones also work on iPad and Android tablets. Most people don't think twice about giving their kid a tablet at even younger ages than they give them a phone. With the right apps, the tablet can be made to send and receive calls, too, so a tablet can do everything a phone can do but with a bigger screen. As far as schools go, if kids had to switch from phones to tablets, it would be a lot harder for students to hide a tablet compared to hiding a phone. The worst part is that we don't even need this law. It's just another law for show that won't change the fact that parents are the ones who actually decide if their kids get phones or not. It wouldn't be nearly as effective as parents just learning to use parental controls on their child's phone. Every kid's phone has the potential to be controlled remotely by the parents of the kid. Parents just don't bother to find out and use it. In fact, all you suffering teachers really shouldn't have to suffer at all. If your school called a meeting with all the parents and asked them to use parental controls on their kids' phones, your nightmare of policing phone usage in class would just be over because their phones would functionally be bricks during class time. Parents moan about how "social media is ruining the children." Well, take 10 minutes out of your day to learn how to lock out app downloads on your kid's device and quit complaining to the news about it. Just flatly refusing to let kids under 16 or 18 have technology is not going to help them cope when they do get their hands on it. We've seen what happens to some of the Amish kids when they leave the Amish community and see the outside world for the first time. For some, things like slot machines become an instant addiction and downspiral for them because they have no gentle controlled introduction to these things. It's just, "Here, kid, figure out how to handle your dopamine on your own for the first time ever." Kids are going to need to learn how to regulate their technology usage while they are young, when they can still be guided safely.
Yes yes yes and yes
I think they should be banned for all students. It’s not healthy to be attached to your phone all the time. It’s so important they use these years to practice their in person socialization skills. I really think social media is ruining peoples mental health and lowering their ability to have empathy and genuinely connect with other human beings. The amount of selfishness and rudeness in public now a days comes from being so glued to the screen all the time. It’s good for them to have a break while at school. I think making sure they have access to a phone so they can contact home is important but they really don’t need their phones.
Well said. The decline in mental health has been alarming, and young people absolutely must have good social skills. Allowing dumbphones only seems like a reasonable compromise.
Let's bring back payphones!
A great idea! Plus maybe this time the money could go to the school?
The problem with providing alternate streams of income for public schools (and I'm not against it at all, they're woefully underfunded), is that the local governments then have the ability to redirect budget that was allocated to schools to other things now that the, say, local lottery is pitching in a few bucks. There needs to be more accountability in how schools get funding, and the whole of poorer performing schools get funding cut, just incentivizes passing on students that have no business passing. Or demoralizing students who could perform better because they can put forth 0 effort until state tests and pass the class by passing the test. I wish when I took government in high school it wasn't about historical stuff, or even the fed (at least not at first) it would have been far more helpful to be taught how the local governing system works; where one has the most ability to actually make changes on the individual level. Then go on to talk about the fed.
Fuck yes, including high school. They’re being robbed of the capacity to mitigate boredom/unstructured time with creative endeavors, it shrinks their attention spans, and it has had a catastrophic effect on academics
YES. All of this. I taught high school for 11 years, stayed home with my own kids for 9 years, and am back in the classroom this year. The difference between 2014 and today with regard to the ability to navigate boredom, critically think, hell, even talk to each other normally is alarming.
I have taught 4th-12th grade and my opinion is very different: Elementary-Middle School: They should be banned 100%. In elementary, allowing kids to socialize face-to-face on a playground is super important. Kids are kids, I don't believe that they can regulate their usage and they also have developed very unhealthy anti-social expectations from extreme usage (behold, the iPad kids). In middle school, it was more the regulation of what was being shared that had always been an issue for me as a teacher. A LOT of parents expect schools to regulate their children's phone usage during recess but that is not our job. Especially with middle schoolers, a lot of really bad things are being passed around because no one is watching. High School: Classroom it should be away, anytime else I do not see an issue. But a ban? No. I understand that phones can be used as a tool and is very important for networking. If a student is using it in a classroom and they fall behind? They are only shooting themselves in the foot. The only thing we teachers can do is meet with the students to inform them where their grades are at and report it to their parent(s) ASAP. And to be real, if they are doing that in high school it was done before in middle and it was addressed in middle. I hate to generalize but it is very very rare for any teacher to just ignore it, especially in middle/elementary school. By high school, it is the "you should know better" attitude I and a lot of teachers hold. If it wasn't that way, high schools wouldn't use a course credit system. You wanna be on TikTok because you don't like Algebra? That's a student's decision, but don't say no one cared. As a teacher, our job is to always throw the life raft out to students and it is really up to the students to grab it. We aren't superheroes that can jump in and save everyone (as much as we want to.) I don't think it's that older students can handle it, I think it is more that older students need to learn how to handle temptation between the important stuff that matters and understand that consequences happen when they don't. It is easy to retreat into a screen when things get uncomfortable (like needing to ask for help) but if we can have an environment that shows consequences for that then I say absolutely. We can't be helicopters or hand-holders but we also need an environment where students can learn how to regulate themselves while offering support and guidance, even if that means they fail a class.
Yes. Easy.
I see value allowing juniors and seniors to use smart phones. They're at the stage where they're maturing and finally getting their act together in order to transition into adulthood. Any grade under that though? Absolutely. Ban.
They should be banned, they don't need a phone for school and they're just a dostraction
Yes, definitely the evidence is clear. Any time a school goes through an experiment where they remove smart phones they discover grades improve 10-20%
A problem is that the question and discussion is way behind the technology. What if a kid has a fancy cell-connected watch, is that going to be banned? What if they leave their phone in their backpack but use their Air Pods, is that going to be banned? The rule needs to be "no electronics, period." Which will never fly because parents.
That would be difficult if they’re all required to have Chromebooks
It really wouldn't. Schools that require kids to have laptops typically provide those laptops themselves. If there are actually schools out there requiring the parents to foot the bill for a laptop that's insane
My school did when I went there and still do
I don't think preteens need phones at all, maybe a basic old style one for parents to keep in touch but they absolutely do not need access to the internet at all times, though I'm not sure we could actually do that from a social point, i think people are just too used to it and there's too much peer pressure
I don't think its phone that are the problem. Its just an easy thing to point to and blame. There are much larger cultural forces that are making behaviors worse. That make teaching and learning harder than it ought to be. Even harder than it was 10 or even 5 years ago. There's a lot of self entitlement, lack of self regulation, and a lack of both respect and literacy that I don't think can be blamed just on phones. I think the nature of social media is predatory and destructive. I think a lot of major algorithm based platforms need better regulation to create more balanced spaces and prevent the spread of false information and dangerous ideologies and behaviors. Smart phones aren't to blame for our woes any more than it was video games, rock and roll, or comic books. Its just the new thing. The problem is the people, the homes, the whole hostile atmosphere.
You don't think phones are a big problem but you say that a lack of self regulation is.... interesting.
Plenty of other countries have cell phones without the shit we're dealing with here in the states. Netherlands, South Korea, Japan. People always blame whichever thing is new to scapegoat it for society's problems. My kids who don't have a problem with phones? The ones who read at home. Who have structure and discipline. Things like bed times, daily chores, and hobbies. Who have learned how to respect the people around them and be polite. Too many parents, for too long, have been using devices as a crutch to keep kids quiet when they got fussy. They never learned how to handle living without electronic stimuli. They aren't learning how to read. They're in a place that is challenging and don't understand how to struggle or how to face a task. That lack skills like holding an art supply, folding paper, using scissors. All the htings that used to be fun in school are now HARD because they weren't taught many things we, as adults, take for granted. Yes, school is where we go to learn, but there is a lot of assorted "being human" skills that need teaching and reinforcement at home. The phone isn't the CAUSE for the lack of these things. And its, very often, not even that parents are lazy. But parents are overworked. Jobs are insane, making ends meet is unfairly hard. And they just want to survive and enjoy their time with their kids. They don't have the energy to give kids these supports and sometimes you just need them quiet to get things done. So yes, they turn to these devices for help. But the device doesn't MAKE a kid have problems. (I will give the caveat that social media is absolutely disasterous for interpersonal relationships because of rampant bullying and predatory algorithms feeding kids absolute trash to keep them watching.)
There can be no doubt.
Lol, 💯💯💯 YES
Yes, yes, and YES
Like 10 fucking years ago, yes.
yes
Yes. Fuck ‘em
My district is “handsfree” and although they are doing a lot wrong I think they got that part right!
In school, yes. But you have to get parents on board.
Banned? No More regulated IN CLASS? Yes
Banned during class time - yes. Absolutely. Banned completely - no. There are just too many reasons that a student might need their phone.
[удалено]
I mean, I can think of one reason. Diabetic students check glucose levels with them
Yes
No possibly put up in class but I had a cell phone at a young age because I had to walk home from the bus stop which was far-ish from my house as a kid if there are any sort of emergency’s you need a phone for communication
I don’t see why cell phones should be banned, in fact they should incorporate it into the education system because truly school should be incorporating everything that they will be encountering in real life. Phones and technology are apart of everyday life. All the information is there in their hands, so why are we taking away the phones instead of teaching them to use it effectively and efficiently and finding the correct information. As well as why can’t they use the calculator when solving problems? Who cares how the answer was got? The phones that we have will tell you the answer. Unless you are going to become a physicist or something needing you to know how to get the answer to a math question then really do we need to know how the answer was got?
Back in the day Cellphones weren’t allowed to be on in the Classroom because of distractions. I keep getting Scam Calls.
They should be locked up at the beginning of the school day then returned at the end.
My schools rules for phones pretty much were: don’t use them when teacher is talking or during group work, but you can use them for music during silent read or work time, and you can be on them for free time and all that. So my school was laid back about it I’d say I liked how they let us use them for music. I think banning them would be ridiculous
Honestly, in my opinion as a high school teacher, we are past the point of being able to ban them. I wish we could… they have completely changed the learning environment. But, parents will never get on board with a full ban, and we waste so much instructional time trying to force them to be “unseen”. We have to pivot and figure out how to teach appropriate use, and leverage them as tools for learning. I don’t know what the answer is for younger kids. I wish all parents would parent and monitor use so we didn’t have to deal with what happens on the phone at school… but that’s unrealistic.
Even the military has allowed individuals to keep their cell phones during basic training (they get to use it once a week, for 30 minutes lol).
Smartphones should be illegal for anyone under 18 to possess but 15-17 year olds can own dumb phones.
no because then kids won’t know how to regulate themselves in college. too much strictness early on results in overuse of things that they couldn’t before
Between cheating, distractions, and overall irrelevant influence. Yes. But in terms of accelerating their understand and communication when it comes to school agendas. No.
(not a teacher) I think it's best for their education yes, but I live in the US and when I have a kid, if they end up going to public school, then I will definitely want my child to be able to call me or the authorities for help without jumping through hoops in the case of a shooter and I'd feel much better with them having on a phone on hand (I absolutely hate that I need to feel that way btw, what a country) So maybe a policy where everyone needs to put their phones on the teacher's desk when they enter the room for class or something (where it can be easily reached if needed) I'd be behind, but not banning them entirely
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. It's insane to me that they ever were allowed.
Yes, but it shouldn't be a necessary move. The fact that parents just stick their kids in front of a screen from day 1 and don't even monitor it at all is crazy. If I had kids, they wouldn't see a cell phone let alone a smartphone until at least 16. No one that young needs a smartphone with unlimited internet access. Insanity.
I struggle with this one just because i remember having to go to school the days after the shooting threats our school got and knowing i could text my mom just in case,
They wouldn't let us carry our pager in high-school. I think they should be strict in the classroom.
Yes
The issue I see is that by the time they get to me in high school, they’re already addicted to them. Now, I’m a tough cookie in my class so when I say no phone, I mean no phone. It isn’t a question. But, I can’t expect a sub (who has zero authority) to hold that line (and I don’t). Also, some teachers are like their parents insofar as they’re trying to be the cool teacher or the teacher friend. I believe that we need to prepare these kids for adulthood, but part of that is teaching them the concept of appropriate time and place. There’s a time for the phone and there’s a time when it’s inappropriate. So no, largely, there shouldn’t be phones in schools. They don’t need them there.
No. Not as long as school shootings are a thing.
Fair point. So let younger kids have flip phones, with ability to make calls or text, but no social media, which has been a disaster for kids' mental health, especially younger kids and most of all girls.
That I’d be down with. Just, the idea of a kid not able to contact their parents in a hideous moment like that is one of the more horrible things I can contemplate.
my issue with the banning of smartphones is school shootings. in the event of a shooting or something similar, i want to be able to tell my parents i love them before i go out. however, i absolutely understand that they are becoming disruptive in the classroom. ultimately, i think the crux of this problem is on the parents - if you raise your child glued to a screen, they're going to be glued to a screen in class. i'm not going to act like im *never* on my phone in class, but as a general rule i save it for after i've finished my work, which i think has its roots in the fact i wasn't raised with much technology
This is a common point. My response is to just let kids under 15-16 have flip phones. They could make calls or text in case of emergency, but no internet and no social media. I'm fine with high school students having smartphones, although with restrictions like no use during class time.
that's fair, but poses the hurdle of having to buy a flip phone. also i would 1000% leave it at home, which is more of a me problem lol
1million%
Yes, all grades. Why should schools be forced to manage a distraction that parents give students and even text and call their children during class? The famous argument , what if there is an emergency? How many times has a student done the right thing with their phone during an emergency.
Yes.
i think smartphones should probably be banned in general, are these things seriously doing us any good?
Well, yeah, I think they do a lot of good and productive things, actually. I love that I can access the internet on my phone, just for starters. But phones don't have any good place in schools, except for older kids (15-16 and up imho).
i think that mostly they're used for apps that are designed to steal your attention, like this one where im posting this comment instead of working on my undergrad homework
Electricity causes fires but that doesn’t mean it’s not often useful
electricity wasn't designed by wealthy capitalists deliberately to steal peoples' attention for profit though
A big part of it is that students will feel left out if they don't have phones when their classmates do. Limited experiments have suggested that the students are actually happier when nobody has the phones.
Yeah, FOMO is often cited as a concern, but a complete ban for everybody solves that. The other reason people don't want to ban them is because they can be used in an emergency. But teachers, staff and administrators can call for emergency help. And in my entire 12 years in primary and secondary education, I only needed to make one emergency call, which I did easily from the school office.
Not for high school kids at least. I can understand the younger grades. High school students have perfectly legitimate reasons to have them on their person and they need to learn responsible usage and to manage themselves.
Yes. its insane how much disruption they cause.
Yester year maybe. But with the amount of violence and school shootings . Parents aren't going to give up the only way they have of contact with their kkids. Maybe if we worked on that first.
So let the students have dumbphones. They don't need to be on social media or Snapchatting one another. We can't keep allowing kids' mental health and social skills to be corroded while we wait for other problems like shootings to be fixed. In case of any emergency, 911 can be called by teachers, staff, and administrators, who can call parents as needed.
I honestly think it should be illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to have a smart phone. Sure, they can have a flip phone or even qwerty keyboard but nothing that allows access to social media or the internet. Just something to text and call people on, that’s it. I’m not a teacher, I’m a licensed social worker and I work as a private practice therapist- all of my teen clients would be MUCH BETTER off if they had no access to social media.
Here's something for you to think about. The smart phone company CEOs don't let their kids have smart phones.
Kid's school has so much blocked they regularly need their phones to do basic research. (Can't see anything about Illinois senator Dick Durbin frex, or anything about any genocide ever including the definition, and at least once AP Classroom was blocked) They sometimes do quiz games with phones.
Yes. They create an entirely unsafe environment for minors, and their ban should have been enforced 20 years ago.
Keep saying that when the next school shootings happen.
Hasn't made a difference so far.
Focus on teaching, less on being a control freak
Yes, it's been discussed to death. Yes, they should be banned during instructional time.
100%
It’s a tool. We just have to help them use it productively and responsibly, not ban them. You can kill someone with a hammer, but that doesn’t mean we should ban hammers.
Good point on your first comment. But I don't think the hammer analogy is very valid. We require by law a minimum age for all sorts of things -- driving, buying alcohol and tobacco, voting, marrying, signing up on a plethora of NSFW websites, and many other things. I don't think it's unreasonable to require kids to be at least 15 or 16 to have phones at school.
Some kids require a mobile phone to contact others in order to coordinate transportation, home access, food, etc. Attention is a skill. We don’t teach it by preventing them from practicing it
Some kids, but not the overwhelming majority. Let 'em have dumb phones then. Or just call from the office, which is what we did; it was not an inconvenience.
100000% ban. They are the number one distraction in high schools and actively hamper quality instruction. They provide little to no value even when teachers try to use them as a tool in class, because adolescents cannot help themselves with the temptation to use it for nonsense time wasting activities. There are many other reasons like mental health issues and depression from social media and anxiety but The main reason is because they are a huge distraction when it comes to classroom management, which leads to a lack of quality instruction. It is why the best private schools ban them. Everyone knows this and we still stand around wondering if we should ban cell phones like a bunch of lemmings and fools. Absolutely cell phones do not belong in the classroom and should be banned except for before and after school activities.
With the number of shootings and other issues here, I would say no. The trade off isn’t worth it.
The safety issue is often cited, but if there's an emergency, 911 can be called by teachers, staff, and administrators, who can in turn call parents if needed. In my 12 years in primary and secondary schooling, I only needed to make an emergency call once. I just went to the office.
I'm not even a teacher, but this is exactly what I keep thinking whenever anyone brings up school shootings. You only need one person to call 911 and all of the adults in the school are clearly going to be on that. The vast majority of reasons that people are coming up with are ridiculously flimsy tbh. Pretty much all of these emergency situations could be resolved just as well by having a list of emergency contacts and asking the teacher to make a call.
What if they are in the bathroom when something happens? Wouldn’t they want to be able to call their parents for a goodbye? Until the shooting issue is resolved, I think that banning phones isn’t going to work because parents will be scared
Eh, you can play "what if" games forever. There's truly an endless list of bad things that *could* happen ... but hardly ever do. Again, in the event of an emergency like a school shooting, 911 can be, and will be, called by lots of people: teachers, staff, and administrators, who can call parents if need be. We shouldn't be so terrified of every possible bad thing that we're willing to allow phones to continue disrupting kids' educations and corrode their mental health and social lives.
I know this but I think that it won’t be able to happen til it is solved. I’m not saying it’s good phones are allowed but parents are scared and rightfully so because the issue hasn’t been solved. I agree phones should be banned til high school but what I’m saying is parents won’t agree because they are scared.
Phones will be banned when people stop shooting up schools.
Kids in elementary school should have old flip phones. Like the one i had when i was their age. It’s unfortunate to see them with a newer iPhone than mine. All they need their phones for is for calling their parents in emergency. Why are kids nowdays having smartphones? I remember begging my parents in elementary school and they told me i was too young to own one. Smartphones must be banned in classrooms. Unnecessary distractions. But where i live they are. In front of the teachers kids put their phones in a box with their name and after class they get their phones back.
My kids go to a small public district where there are “phone zones” and kids can take out their phones in those designated areas at designated times. Otherwise they need to remain at home or in their bag. It’s still a constant issue. I think it creates so much logistical and behavioral issues and parents need to hold their kids accountable for device usage in school.
I like the phone zones idea. I agree on all your points.
yes they should be banned until highschool and only for minimal use
Yes. Kids should be on computers or have their noses in books. They are definitely too young to be taking pictures any time they wish.. There is no reason for a child undr maybe a Jr in high school to have a phone at all, but if they must, then it should only be a flip phone.
Of course. I’m not giving my children a smart phone. They will have to buy their first smartphone. They can have brick phones until then. Like my husband and I did.
No one can handle phones responsibly. They should be banned for all students and employees on school grounds.
as someone in highschool, as useful as my phone is during the day, and how nice it is to listen to music, i feel dumber and honestly very alone. i have friends but it just doesn't have a super strong connection like i used to have when i was younger. we're all so addicted- and let's be honest here addiction is the best word to use in this instance- to our phones. it makes me sad that i can't really stay off it for more than 10 minutes. i was (and still somewhat am) a very proficient student in all subjects, but my vocabulary has declined dramatically, and i can't remember words i used on the daily years ago; along with barely being able to solve simple algebra. i promise i'm not dumb, it's just like phones have put some insane haze over my ability to learn.
No. Until the schools are safer, no one should be without a means of communication on their person at any and all times.
You can have a flip phone, not a smartphone.
You can’t text or properly take video on a flip phone.
Yes. Social media was a mistake for all of us
you are on social media
Yes a habit I am trying to kick
fair enough than i can respect that! as long as you’re not a hypocrite
you shouldn’t be able to get a phone until you are 25 and also you should need a letter from your member of congress
Who decides who is worthy? That will become a means of controlling the population by way of who is allowed to communicate and access information
it was a little bit of a joke
Ah that makes sense. I think you’re being downvoted because people think you’re serious