Graphic by Norah Sheppard-Hutchins
Phone bans will not magically make students want to learn and pay attention in class and will only make them feel less safe while at school.
I am not saying that phone use should be permitted in the classroom, but they should not be completely prohibited from school grounds.
It’s the schools that overstep with the usage of items like Yondr pouch’s, which magnetically locks phones away for the entire duration of the school day, according to Yondr’s official website.
I think that phones should be accessible for students, and it can be potentially harmful to confiscate them.
Phones help kids feel safe in the midst of increased school shootings and overall violence on campuses.
Approximately 78% of parents said they want their kids to have phones at school due to safety concerns, according to a 2024 survey by the National Parents Union.
While attending school growing up, I always felt on edge and never could fully be comfortable on campus.
My body would jolt at even the slightest noise, and whenever I’d hear the loud bang of a hydroflask hit the floor (which was a common occurrence), I would feel jumpy the rest of the day.
This only got worse as time went on, as school shootings and lockdowns became more frequent.
I know if the worst-case scenario did happen, not having my phone to contact my parents would only have made me feel worse.
There have been 152 school shootings at K-12 schools this year in the United States, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Meanwhile, cellphone bans are becoming more widespread, with about 30% of public schools in the US prohibiting students from being on their phones, according to Feb. 19 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
In this period of increased concern about safety in schools, these pouches make me feel even more uneasy for today’s students.
These bans can prevent students from contacting loved ones or emergency services if an emergency occurs.
During the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia on Sept. 4, 2024, student Ethan Clark texted his mom, “School shooting rn… I’m scared,” and “I love you,” according to a Sept. 6, 2024 article by ABC News.
Given that students in this situation were able to contact their parents and let them know they love them is evidence that having access to phones in school doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
If I were not allowed to text my parents during any emergency or have the ability to let them know I love them while uncertain if I would survive or not, it would break their hearts.
Not only would it break their hearts, but mine too, with the knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to speak with them one last time.
I am aware that these phone bans are enforced as a consequence of phones being a major distraction in the classroom.
One-third of public K-12 teachers describe cellphones as being a major distraction in the classroom, according to a Jun. 2024 Pew Research Center article.
This issue is undeniable, but in the case of an emergency, they should be able to grab it with permission.
I find it slightly confusing how during a time when technology is becoming more integrated with academics, it’s simultaneously being forced away from students.
Approximately 94% of public schools provide students with technological devices, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2022.
Many schools supply students with an iPad or computer, yet the same schools that have been leaning towards technology as learning tools are turning the blame to phones.
Is it daunting that people are so reliant on their phones that many feel they need them around 24/7 to feel safe? Yes.
However, it’s disappointing that society has made it impossible for kids to do schoolwork without a device, and then acts like technology is the enemy.
We instantly point fingers at technology, yet if some parents spent more time teaching digital literacy to their kids, this wouldn’t be an issue.
If kids are constantly fearing for their lives after seeing all the news following school shootings, I don’t blame them for wanting their phones around.
Maybe it’s not the healthiest thing to rely on phones, but if we shifted our focus to fixing issues with mass shootings and violence in schools instead, phones wouldn’t be as necessary on school grounds.
I’d say we can focus more on phones being a possible distraction after we work on these serious safety issues.