Are School Phone Bans Working?
We need to ask the right questions to help kids thrive
School cell phone bans are all the rage right now with more than 20 states and several countries adding new policies. I don’t hold out a lot of hope that banning cell phones will magically fix everything – but I can understand the concerns behind the bans. I’m just wary of putting all of our eggs into a Yondr pouch, especially if it lets lets us feel like we are off the hook and can forget about teaching kids HOW to use tech--or cultivating school environments where students can thrive.
While I get how hard it is for teachers to compete with TikTok when trying to share crucial information – and how phone bans might offer some relief – many teachers and students have also pointed out that enforcing these bans can be just as disruptive as the phones themselves. And as with many other issues, schools are in a better position to make decisions for themselves with their own data.
It’s also difficult to see the upsides of a phone ban without a comprehensive tech policy. If the goal is "focus" and nothing else is done to make school more engaging, will students simply switch to going off task other devices, like texting or gaming on school Chromebooks?
Despite all the effort it takes to enforce bans, some studies show that the bans do little or nothing to help students' mental health or academic performance. On the other hand, there are other studies that do indicate some positive effects on academic performance, but no one has shown that simply banning phones alone transforms learning in a BIG way.
For a true transformation, we need to look for more holistic approaches that empower kids to engage with their own learning, as the authors of the excellent new book, The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better argue.
Disengaged Teen authors Rebecca Winthrop and
discuss how tech can exacerbate – but is not the source of – disengagement.
"It’s definitely not all technology. The disengagement crisis has been there for at least the last two decades before cell phones were invented. But tech, social media, particularly mobile phones, exacerbate disengagement if used poorly and if not regulated in a young person’s life."
-Rebecca Winthrop on the Getting Smart Podcast
If you are looking to change the conversation at your school or in your home about learning and engagement, their book is a must-read.
Another important consideration when it comes to phone bans is the impact on students with accessibility needs. In many ways, phones can be accessibility devices, and disability advocates are concerned that a blanket ban could be disproportionately harmful for students who are using the device for accessibility support or medical needs. For example, this article explores those concerns in one large school district in LA with stories about students who use phones to access their hearing devices, for example.
Given all this information, you may be wondering what we can do to help our kids if bans aren’t a panacea. One compelling experiment shows that when students CHOOSE to put away phones to talk with friends at lunch they feel good about the outcome. If we could take the time to really understand our adolescents, we can see how creating space for pro-social behavior might work better than simply penalizing students for using phones.
I’d love to see schools focusing on ways to encourage positive outcomes – students concentrating in class, connecting with peers, etc. I believe this will be a more effective strategy than blanket bans, especially if enforcing bans is punitive and risks stigmatizing students with disabilities.
Let’s start asking questions like, Are all of the spaces safe at all times? What are the other supports available? Is school a welcoming and supportive environment? Is a counselor available? Is the curriculum meaningful and engaging? These are questions schools need to answer to determine whether or not phones are banned.
In the meantime, though, here’s my answer to some questions parents and teachers have been asking:
How can we prepare for bans?
While many parents I talk to are enthusiastic about reducing cell phone use in school, teachers tell me parents are texting their kids on phones and watches during the school day. If you live in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Arizona or one of the many other states that plans to ban phone use during the school day next year, now is a good time to practice strategies for being in touch less frequently.
If your child texts you once or twice a week saying, "Please remind me to bring my uniform tomorrow," or similar requests to support their organization and planning, this summer is an ideal time to make sure they download a good notes app onto their school device, or practice carrying a small notebook or paper calendar to jot down reminders. Summer can be a great time to practice using a digital calendar. This will also reduce some of the mental load from parents, which is always good!
On a pragmatic level, schools will also need to plan alternatives to using QR codes and asking students to take pictures of information written on a whiteboard. Kids who use their phones to show their ID every morning may need to carry one of those ID packets (I wore one around my neck in college) and schools should be prepared to offer replacement cards more frequently. Since many teachers know kids are all carrying pocket cameras, sometimes they will tell students to just take a picture of the diagram on the board. However, if phones are going away in the classroom, teachers may need to transition to sharing documents with students via email or a course website.
Students may need to get more accustomed to taking notes by hand and copying diagrams from lectures and slides presented in class.
Hopefully schools can lean into supporting the habits and behaviors that promote thriving and engagement and not over-focus on simply policing phone use.
Mentoring sets kids up for success better than monitoring.
I'd love to hear about how your experiences with phone policies--feel free to reach out.
PS: If you want to connect about working together, let's chat.
I’m in a primary school so it’s not quite as important an issue because we don’t have phones in school, never have and don’t have anything designed around that.
But I know secondary teachers who have banned them and it’s immediately changed the dynamic in schools. No, it doesn’t solve every issue - social media companies have to do more, and parents have to stay vigilant. But teachers simply don’t have to deal with as many problems.
I do work in a school where we use iPads a fair bit, especially in the build-up to our SATs (end of year exams in the final primary school year). For those few weeks, the iPads helped with the exam prep but we could visibly see the lack of focus, attention and effort from the children in everything else. So, after the exams, we’ve locked them away. This week has been bliss.
I wasn’t sure where I stood on the debate but there are a huge amount of teachers saying phones have removed the biggest barrier to building connections with students and running effective lessons, while data suggest behaviour problems and punitive measures are less frequent, too. Some other issues may rise somewhat, but overall banning phones from schools is a must.
I’m sorry to be an old fogey about it but ‘we weren’t allowed them in my day’ and we were fine 😂
It’s a must.
I don't know much about cell phones and I don't really like them (although I'm on one now, because all the other dads on the playground are talking about sports) but I've done some school events, talking to kids as a local author, and I have to say, looking around, it appears that 90% of a teacher's job is playing whack-a-mole, telling one student to put his phone away while all the other students secretly slide their own of their pockets...only to be caught, one by one. All the teacher faces the left side of the room, catching phone miscreants, the right side of the room goes hog wild, and then reverse. It's a seven-hour dance the students do with the teachers.
On the one hand, I still atavistically hate school, and celebrate any attempt to destroy its functions. On the other hand, it can't be good for any kid to play cat and mouse for half the waking hours every day.