Now we’re getting somewhere. Word is out that Gov. Hochul will press for a statewide ban on smartphones in schools — a long overdue move that would help teachers and students reclaim educational settings for learning and actual human connection. Though we’ll have to see and parse the bill text when it’s available, just about any movement in this direction is welcome.
Smartphones in the hands of kids aren’t always all bad, and even social media apps have their benefits in helping young people learn about the world, entertain themselves and find communities out there in the ether. But there’s such a thing as being too connected; many teenagers report using social media “almost constantly,” on apps where they’re desperately seeking approval.
And there’s no question that when students have phones with apps and full-color screens in front of them during class, they get terribly distracted.
Experts like psychologists Jon Haidt and Jean Twenge make a compelling case that smartphones and the social media apps they serve up seamlessly are responsible for making American teenagers feel more anxious and depressed; dissenters say they’re Cassandras oversimplifying complex and interconnected trends.
We don’t have years or generations for the research community to come to consensus, if it ever will. Kids are growing up in the here and now, and it’s mind-numbingly apparent to just about anyone with children — indeed, to just about anyone who’s ever found themselves sucked into a TikTok feed or a Twitter/X debate — that it’s time for cutting back.
Schools, already squarely under the purview of government regulations, are the logical place to start. While many schools already technically prohibit smartphones for non-academic use, they’re rarely totally and completely put away. That creates a second job for teachers just to get kids to keep their eyes up and their heads in the work.
A study earlier this year from the Program for International Student Assessment revealed a “strong association” between in-class smartphone use and student outcomes. Nearly half of students in the 38 developed countries that take the assessment reported anxiety if their phones weren’t near them, and nearly 60% said they were distracted by the devices of other students in math class. And when schools make kids lock their smartphones away in pouches, they report happier, more engaged kids.
So who could be against such a sensible idea as keeping smartphones out of the one place where they’re most obnoxious? The loudest opponents appear to be parents, who are increasingly used to being able to communicate with their kids at all hours and worry that they’ll have no way of telling them that pickup plans have changed or whatnot.
There are two answers to that: One, parents and kids found ways to communicate throughout the school day for decades upon decades before anyone ever heard of iOS or Android. Two, students can and should remain able to carry dumb cellphones with them, texting the old-fashioned way and, if necessary, placing phone calls.
There’s nothing wrong with devices that enable occasional communication. There’s a lot wrong with pocket computers that make it impossible for kids to give their undivided attention to lessons, peers and teachers. Good going, Gov. Hochul.
