Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District became the largest school district in the country to approve a district-wide cell phone ban. While this is great news for teachers, it's not so great for many kids. Meanwhile, parents are torn between wanting their kids to learn without distractions and fearing they'll lose the constant, easy communication they've grown accustomed to. Everyone will have to learn to live without cell phones.
High school hallways are filled with students with their heads bowed, not because they're engrossed in a book, but because their favorite influencer has posted a new video. Schools have had to remove mirrors in bathrooms because students were sneaking out of class to make TikTok videos. Digital isolation has taken hold in school cafeterias and playgrounds, leaving these spaces eerily quiet — a phenomenon administrators say has only gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Smartphones undoubtedly prevent students from solving x or perusing Shakespeare’s sonnets. Simply banning use during class, without imposing further restrictions, allows for furtive or accidental phone use. A 2023 study by Common Sense Media revealed that on average, teenagers check their phones more than 100 times a day. In addition to hundreds of notifications lighting up their screens and interrupting class, teens now spend 4.8 hours a day on social media. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy has been a vocal proponent of limiting young people’s screen exposure and social media use, pushing for cigarette-like warning labels on apps like Instagram and Facebook. The relationship between screen exposure and mental health is still unclear, but some studies suggest there is cause for concern.
Promoting pro-social skills is also a key responsibility of schools. Banning cell phones encourages kids to interact with friends in person and foster relationships outside of cyberspace. Many people are struggling to reconnect with their communities after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools could be the perfect place to start.
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But many parents remain wary of banning cellphones during school hours, worried that it would cut off communication between parents and their children, not just when picking up or dropping off their kids, but also in the event of an emergency. Given the recent rise in school shootings, parents' concerns are understandable, but they're not a good enough reason to continue allowing devices on school grounds.
In fact, law enforcement officials have recommended against mass communication during lockdowns, as hundreds of students contacting their parents could increase panic and lead to children not following life-saving instructions.
Schools have managed to function without smartphones for centuries; their absence has not caused any logistical or other disasters. For concerned parents, letting kids have old-fashioned cell phones (these days they are called “dumb phones”) may be the best option. Schools might consider whether a selective phone ban that allows such devices would work. That might be especially appropriate for kids still in elementary or middle school. Or parents could go the more old-fashioned route and just call the school's administration office when they need to. Meanwhile, schools might ensure they have a parent notification system that works in case of an emergency.
The next question for schools is how to ban cell phones. A common option is to require the use of magnetic pouches that lock in the morning and unlock when the bell rings or in an emergency. This option is the most widely implemented, with more than 3,000 schools in 21 countries using it. Other options, such as cell phone lockers or honor-based systems that ban students from touching their phones, have been less successful.
Smartphone bans can make a big difference if implemented correctly. At Bethlehem Central High School near Albany, New York, for example, academic progress has improved since the school implemented a ban last fall. Staff there say students talk to each other in classrooms and common areas much like they did before scrolling through social media feeds became the standard lunchtime activity. They're less distracted and more focused on their studies. Even skeptical students and parents say they've been surprised by the success of their newly smartphone-banned schools.
Cell phone bans are moving from individual schools to statewide policies in states like Florida and Indiana. California leaders are considering their own statewide policy. That's even better. The next generation should learn the value of an intellectual life, not just a screen.
For more on a related subject, listen to our columnists discuss social media warning labels on the Impromptu podcast.
