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Phones are distracting students in class. More states are pressing schools to ban them

In California, a high school teacher complains that students watch Netflix on their phones during class. In Maryland, a chemistry teacher says students use gambling apps to place bets during the school day.

Around the country, educators say students routinely send Snapchat messages in class, listen to music and shop online, among countless other examples of how smartphones distract from teaching and learning.

The hold that phones have on adolescents in America today is well-documented, but teachers say parents are often not aware to what extent students use them inside the classroom. And increasingly, educators and experts are speaking with one voice on the question of how to handle it: Ban phones during classes.

123 comments
  • While I agree students shouldn't be distracted with their phones during class I don't think enacting a law is the best remedy for the malady. This aught to be resolved by school district or even just a classroom policy.

    • The issue with local policy like that is that school boards or individual teachers are hugely susceptible to parental rage. Countless teachers will talk about how every parent has some reason why little Timmy just absolutely must have his TikTok machine on him at all times, just in case his mom needs to text him and can't be bothered to call the school office.

      Having some state-level precedent makes this much easier for local officials, who can just say that they're following state guidelines.

      • has some reason why little Timmy just absolutely must have his TikTok machine on him at all times, just in case his mom needs to text him and can't be bothered to call the school office

        And that's a problem why exactly? Why is every comment here pretending that there is either being glued to the screen of your phone or having it locked away, no inbetween?

        Schools can somehow enforce completely rediculous clothign regulations but "the phone stays in your bag unless it's an emergency" is somehow impossible because it's some kind of law of nature that you must stare at the screen 24/7.

      • That's a fair point. But what's worse for a student, not paying attention in class or getting a cop sent into the classroom to arrest/assault them?

        If it's a law, and the school has a cop on premises it's just a question of when will a teacher ask a cop to deal with it.

        I am not sure if a law enforced by the government and courtrooms without much room for exception is the best idea. What if a student genuinely needs a phone in class?

        Why couldn't the precedent be a school policy similar to how some schools might have a uniform policy? Why would it be easier to enforce a uniform policy than a no phone policy?

        Also, what is the difference between a highschool and a college interms of phone use during class?

  • The question is why students will watch Netflix instead of listening and learning. It wasn't better in the past as they didn't have a smartphone. The situation is different.

    We live in a world in perpetual movement. The school is in a new situation. Tomorrow, the situation will change again and again.

    What to do? We can go back to how we think it was in the past. But, it will never be. People and society changed. How we see the world around us changed.

    Or, we can do what any government did in the past 30 years, putting money in schools and education. The school has to follow the change in the perception of the world by adapting their methods. Instead of 2x+2x=4x, you can learn 2 smartphones + 2 smartphones = 4 smartphones.

    The other point is that we are in an ultra individual time. And, school can't be like that. School is a common. You have to play in team. This need to build a relationship and confidence between teachers and students and between students. But, nobody gives the time and money to do so. Bullying is high for example and isn't addressed properly.

    It's not that it was better before. It changed and we didn't put the money so the school followed the perpetual change.

123 comments