Out with Phones, In with a Better Community
All students have experienced the feeling of having their phone confiscated due to the cell phone policy stated by the teacher at the beginning of the year. Almost every student feels angered or annoyed by the fact that they won’t be able to take a photo on snapchat or text their “bestie” every couple of minutes. Little do they know, the more time that young teenagers stay off of their phone, the better they will learn.
70% of high school teachers complain about the massive problem in today’s generation. Phones. These addicting devices have proven to be the enemy of education. With many students constantly being on their phones during learning time, their focus is diverted away from the topic at hand and instead concentrated towards the number of social media followers that they have gained or lost since the morning.
Some argue that complete phone bans may be harmful because they do prevent key communication with parents, and limit the ability to study topics quickly. However, an all-or-nothing phone ban would not be the route that most schools take. A much more beneficial idea would be to take away phones during class time. This would ensure the ability to effectively communicate with parents during break times, while simultaneously giving students the opportunity to easily access study material on their phone for a quick refresher right before their next exam. With an in-class phone ban, the attentiveness of students would increase exponentially and the quality of work would greatly exceed previous standards. Teachers who have already implemented restrictions on cellphone usage in their classrooms have noticed the difference. They proudly report the effects of phone bans to include more focused students along with a more inclusive and passionate working environment.
Not only do these devices add distraction and chaos into the life of a student, but they also seem to give adolescents the incentive to bully and exploit their fellow peers. The unfortunate reality is that many students in the modern world have witnessed this first-hand. Many have seen their classmates sending unconsented videos of other students to each other and understand how much a single picture can affect someone else.
With the addition of phone bans in the classroom, bullying, cyberbullying, and exploitation of others is predicted by many to finally come to an end. This has been a major change that both teachers and students alike have noticed in areas where these much needed policies have been implemented. Students in Indiana have all been amazed by the positive effects of reduced cell phone usage. They have embraced the new policies and have matured in such a way that they have been able to dig deeper to the root cause of why cellphones are such destructive devices in an educational setting. They notice that the addiction to the device correlates with how important they think a new notification could be. Students have even grown to think of their cellphones as toxic to their lives.
Many teenagers living in areas where cellphone bans have not yet been implemented, already know how much their phone is distracting them and causing problems in a school setting. With a law that regulates the usage of these devices, the thought of taking out their phone will be in the back of students’ minds. This will make the entire journey to a more focused and goal-oriented learning environment much easier because with the added cell phone laws, there will be a significantly greater amount of students that in time, won’t even remember they brought their phone to school.
Widespread phone bans in schools will clearly boost the learning and focus of students while also contributing to a more socially inclusive, peaceful, and safe environment.
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