There's a Methuen student handbook policy regarding cellphone use. The school district acknowledges "many students will have cellphones with them during school hours," but the handbooks say it's a goal to ensure the "use does not distract from learning."
"There was a lot of debate about that," Superintendent Brandi Kwong said. "Cellphones do not lead to good things in schools, and we see it every single day."
The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a pilot program, she pointed out, to address student cellphone use. The pilot grant for the 2024 fiscal year is intended to help districts implement practices throughout the day in middle or high schools to address the use of cellphones and other electronic devices.
"Based on growing evidence of the negative impacts on academic, social-emotional and mental health outcomes, as noted in the recent Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, the goal of this grant program is to assist districts in mitigating and/or reducing negative factors through age-appropriate, effective and innovative approaches," the program reads.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced in May that there are "ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."
Up to 95 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds report using a social media platform, and over a third use it "almost constantly," according to Murthy.
"Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. and for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends," Murthy said. "We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis — one that we must urgently address."
And so, DESE's program offered about $800,000 to eligible districts to develop new policies around cell phone use as well as restrict the devices in general. Funding can be used to purchase materials to secure the devices, such as lockers or pouches, as well as in support of other programs like professional development and school culture activities.
The pilot runs through the end of the school year, June 30.
School Committee member Ryan DiZoglio said the school he teaches at has pouches for students to put their phones in.
"They put it in a bag so they still have it in case of an emergency, but they're not to take it out at all," DiZoglio said. "If it is, they are disciplined accordingly."
Other districts have addressed the cell phone issue as well. North Andover's district handbook considers unsanctioned use of cellphones in school or on the bus as well as communicating inappropriately online or on cellphones in those locations as moderate infractions.
Haverhill's student handbook for prekindergarten through eighth grade lists the possession of cellphones among other "disruptive devices" as a cause for disciplinary action.
It is a "C code violation" in Lawrence city schools, meaning discipline is at the discretion of the educator or in accordance with any schoolwide plan communicated with families. Repeated violations can be elevated to the principal.
In Andover, students are not permitted to even use their cellphones to take pictures or videos at socials or dances. It's a "preventative measure to prevent bullying or cyberbullying through transmission," according to the middle school handbook.
But Dr. David Rainen, a psychologist at Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates, said this might not be the most plausible option. He said it would be "painful" for all to remove phones for good, but that also goes along with the "addiction aspect."
"That is a legitimate issue," Rainen said. "Ninety percent of what you get on your phone is something positive or educational so either you're learning something or you are playing a game or talking to a friend. There's some degree of reward that makes it the perfect item that makes it cause addiction."
Kwong called the "policing of phones" unnecessarily spent time, as it interrupts teaching and learning "all of the time."
Rainen said a reason for this is how omnipresent phones are. Students now feel at a loss without having something to do, even if it is just for 10 seconds. Rainen said this speaks to a larger societal issue, especially as he said teens are spending more than an average of eight hours on screens each day.
At the Jan. 10 School Committee meeting, Kwong said cellphone use is now starting around third grade for many students.
"Stuff that we used to deal with in eighth grade, the bad stuff, we're starting to deal with in third grade," Kwong said. "That's sad. That's heartbreaking for us because there's no developmental understanding how to use that, of what it means and the permanency of some of the things the kids are doing on those phones and apps and photos and conversations."
School Committee member Dan Shilibia said his first-grader now asks for a phone because his friends have one.
"Most of us didn't grow up with phones at schools, so it's a very different world," Shilibia said.
At the same time, Shilibia said he does recognize cellphone use can help with "accountability" in terms of fights and other negative activities that could occur.
Murthy also acknowledged that 58 percent of adolescents report social media helps them feel more accepted. Over 70 percent say it allows them to use their creative side, and 80 percent say they are more connected to their friends through social media.
Rainen recognizes the positives of cellphones, from allowing information to be at students' fingertips to communicating with parents and friends when needed.
If students become more explicit in when and why they use their phone, Rainen said that can help manage expectations. Parental controls can also make a difference.
"It really comes down to the parent or the adult and how they are managing the phone," Rainen said. "Phones aren't inherently the problem. It's what's on the phones and how people use the phones that is a problem. That's the big thing."
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