Yes, we should ban cell phones in schools
This is not about living in the past. This is about the proper use of technology and how best to facilitate learning without needless distractions.
I find it amazing how some people get "big mad" over things that should be common sense. I had over 550 comments on a Threads post where I said this: "Obviously cell phones should be banned in schools. If the child needs to contact you, or vice versa, you can call the office. It worked perfectly fine in the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's." (I didn't get nearly as much engagement on the same post on Facebook, Twitter or BlueSky.)
This should not be controversial. Students are at school to learn, not to doomscroll social media or play games. Teachers have increasingly complained about how they have to compete with phones for students' attention during class, and how phones can be a disruption. There have always been plenty of distractions at school, yes, but we do not need to introduce another distraction, especially given social media's negative impact on the mental health of teenagers.
Part of the problem is we have too many parents who are overly permissive with technology, and think their "little angel" should be allowed to carry his phone wherever he goes. This is tied to helicopter parenting as well, with parents feeling the "need" to be able to contact and track their children at all times. Children need to learn independence and not have their parents watching over them at all times. A parent's ultimate goal should be to make himself unnecessary.
To address some of the criticisms:
The so-called "argument" that I am somehow a Luddite is a straw man made in bad faith. I am not against cell phones and both of my sons know their way around a smartphone and tablet. Thanks to computers, research papers are exponentially easier than they were 40 years ago because you can look up many reliable sources in seconds. Everything has its proper place. I am not against video games either, but I do not think children should bring their Nintendo Switch (or their PS Vita, PSP, Nintendo DS, Turbo Express, Game Boy Advance, Sega Game Gear or Atari Lynx) to school either. The issue is not whether technology is good or bad. The issue is the proper use of the tool.
Another dishonest response is that this is "rage bait," including to get "money." I have never earned a penny from any post on any platform. I do not have paid subscriptions enabled on my Substack. The idea that this is "rage bait" is silly. If you are enraged by a common-sense proposal that tens of millions of people agree with and has already been implemented at many schools in both Democratic and Republican states across the country, then the source of your rage is your lack of emotional control, not my post. Your lack of self-control is not my problem.
"It is 2025!" Yes, it is. No one is saying we should live exactly as we did in 1995, 1980, or 1950. Absolutely no one is saying we should abandon all technological advances (especially advances medical science) made in the last century. This is not about living in the past. This is about the proper use of technology and how best to facilitate learning without needless distractions.
"There are bad teachers!" Yes, there are bad teachers. There are also bad administrators. The answer to that is not for every student to be playing on his phone because the phone camera can catch bad actors. The answer is to terminate the employment of bad employees who mistreat students, and criminally prosecute them when necessary. If your child is in "danger" from the teacher, then he should not be in that school. Letting every student bring his smartphone to school is the equivalent of smashing a spider with a 20 pound sledge hammer. A flyswatter will work fine.
"School shootings! Ban guns instead!" This is one of the more dishonest responses. Guns are already banned in schools. While students have called 911 to report shootings, there is no reason schools cannot ensure that all school employees have phones. Even a feature phone can call 911 in an emergency. Teachers who do not have cell phones can have one paid for by the school and kept in the desk in the event of an emergency. Finally, school shootings are rare. There were 80, 82 and 83 school shootings the last three years. There are over 115,000 schools in these United States. Allowing every student to carry his smartphone in response to this is, once again, the equivalent of smashing a spider with a 20 pound sledge hammer.
What about students with medical needs? If the school cannot be trusted to take care of students medical needs, then the school should be reformed. Teachers who are unreasonable should be disciplined or fired, and there should be clear policies to deal with these things. Allowing every student to have a cell phone in class is an overreaction to that and shows the lack of a sense of proportion.
What about sports teams or other after-school activities? How can a student contact parents after school when the office is closed? This is easy: Students who can demonstrate a "need" to have a phone after school can turn it in to be securely stored until after school. This also applies to students who walk, bike or drive home from school and want a phone for safety reasons. Permission to bring phones for after-school needs would be granted on a case-by-case basis. Allowing every student to have his smartphone on him during class is a disproportionate reaction to that problem.
Allow me to make a bold statement: There is no problem where allowing every student to bring his smartphone to school and have it in class is going to be the solution. There are other ways to deal with any problem "solved" by allowing students to have their phones with them at all times. There are other solutions that will be far less disruptive and will address those problems. I have not seen a single convincing argument against my position on this issue.