Cellular Phones
Cellular Phones
Cellular Phones
Should cell phones be allowed in school? A 2010 Pew Research Center study found that 65
percent of cell-owning teens bring their phones to school despite any bans that may be in place.
Most schools now allow students to have cell phones but require them to be turned off during
class because they can be disruptive and distracting. Read on for the pros and cons of allowing
cell phones in school to help make the right decision for your child.
Should students be allowed to have their cell phones in middle school and high school? A
2010 Pew Research Center study found that 65 percent of cell-owning teens bring their
phones to school despite any bans that may be in place. Most high schools now allow
students to have cell phones but require them to be turned off during class because they can
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Both high schools and families seem to have an ongoing struggle with youth cell phone use.
The ramifications leave lasting effects and challenges. In a 2020 Pew Research Center
article, it was shared that “a majority of parents in the United States (66%) – who include
those who have at least one child under the age of 18, but who may also have an adult child
or children – say that parenting is harder today than it was 20 years ago, with many in this
Read on for the pros and cons of allowing cell phones in school to help make the right
The Pros
You can be in touch with your children and know their whereabouts
The 2010 Pew study noted that 48 percent of parents use the phone to monitor their child's
location. The monitoring of children’s locations during school hours should also be noted as
a con for many families who don’t like the idea of tracking their high school children with
technology.
Cell phones can be used in emergencies
Your kids can reach you in the event of an emergency and vice versa. Families are living
through unprecedented times, regardless of whether they attend private or public schools.
This generation of children has grown up with mass shootings, and specifically school
shootings, being part of the news headlines that they see every year of their lives. We are
now also living through a pandemic where school districts and families have heightened
anxiety and true health and safety concerns on a regular basis. Knowing that you can reach
loved ones in a heartbeat thanks to mobile phones during school hours can feel more
If in danger, your children can reach the authorities or a medical provider. Parents worry
about everything from bullying to random violence to car accidents when their children are
not only at school, but also attending activities directly after school. School students are
driving from high school to work, traveling for sports meets and competitions, and visiting
friends. Although parents may not love the idea of teens having their phones at school, they
may want them to have access to phones for all that happens immediately following time at
school.
Mobile phones can be silenced during class or study periods, and active only in appropriate
places. Expert and educator, Blaire Lent, MS.ED., MS.Sp.ED shared that knowing how to
appropriately engage with cell phones is now an important life skill and learning tool:
“As the Head of School, I have felt that learning to appropriately engage with a cell phone is
an important life skill. Therefore we have a policy that students will lose classroom points if
they use their cellphones during lecture and note taking time, but we do NOT ban cell
phones entirely. The point behind this policy was to give students an arena to practice self-
control regarding phone usage so that they might develop those skills before adulthood.”
Cell phones create a convenience that was previously unavailable. With cell phones, you can
easily reach your kids for any reason: to ask them questions, change plans, or to simply say
hello.
Expert Blaire Lent also explained how this aspect of cell phone use specifically benefits
some students: “Allowing students to bring their phones to school has another benefit as
well-- many students with acute anxiety manage this condition by frequently checking in with
their caretakers about daily plans. For example, "Who is picking me up?" is the type of
question a student with anxiety might text several times during the traditional school day. Not
because they keep forgetting, but because repetition of the routine helps them assuage
The Cons
Students often forget to turn off their phones in class, and ringing noises or text message
alerts disrupt learning and school work. Even if set to silent, cell phones can still cause
distraction for students and educators, since text messaging has become a high-tech method
of passing notes in school. As seen in the popular 2020 Netflix documentary The Social
Dilemma, young people and even adults experience an addictive need to check their cell
phones and notifications whenever the phone is available. This would point to the fact that
even the mere presence of the cell phone can be distracting, even when the sound is turned
off or if the phone is powered off altogether. The increased screen time has also been found
Cell phones can be used for bullying and can have a negative effect on
mental health
Student cell phone networks add to the spread of rumours and misinformation, which can be
harmful on a daily basis. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and other popular — and
potentially dangerous — social media apps can be even more of a distraction and can be
used for cyberbullying. This is often cited as reasoning for instituting a cell phone ban.
According to a 2019 study, “More than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in England found that
using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being
in teens. Other studies also have observed links between high levels of social media use and
depression or anxiety symptoms.” Of course, teens will have access to social media via their
computers, but not having an iphone with them for the majority of the day can help to prevent
more constant and consistent use of social media and can cut down on the overall amount of
Expert Blaire Lent shared how these challenges affected her school specifically and what
they tried in lieu of banning phones: “Our school recently spent a "phone-free week" in
response to students' seeming inability to control phone usage even when motivated to do
so. There is an inherent addictive nature to the smartphone and it seems to be more difficult
for the most at-risk students to avoid the alluring beckon of a buzzing pocket. Add to this
increasing levels of FOMO and the constant reinforcement of self-worth that social media
can bring or take away, and schools are seeing more and more students be unable to
navigate the pressures of having phones in their pockets and only using them at certain
times.”
Overall, families have to decide what works best for their own family. Different circumstances
dictate different needs. Digital devices are not going away as far as being major influential
aspects of our society. Best practices may only be able to be determined through trial and
error. It’s generally easier to increase usage and relax rules than to dial back extensive use
which may be worth considering as you navigate the challenges associated with cell phone
use in schools.