Smart Devices

Digital technology, AI and the dopamine loop that drives our constant connectivity are undermining the quality of students' attention. There's an old solution: social connection, deep reading and tuning out tech.

A sophomore at Asbury University felt her mental health problems and attentiveness improved when she locked her iPhone in a drawer for all but essential tasks and switched to using a flip phone.

The Oregon House of Representatives will vote on a bill to restrict K-12 students from using cellphones between the first and last bells of the school day and spells out consequences for those who violate the rules.

A 2023 law prevents Northwestern School Corporation from charging student fees to pay for devices, so the school board is pursuing a $1.5 million bond project to cover the cost of new iPads for students.

New legislation in Alabama bans K-12 students from using portable communication devices on campus during the school day and requires that they be trained on the risks of social media.

Some parents oppose legislation that would ban cellphones in Georgia public schools, arguing that the devices are essential for communicating with their kids in the event of a school shooting.

Greenwich Public Schools are restricting access to YouTube on school-issued devices for grades pre-K-5, largely at the request of elementary principals who saw the app as an unnecessary distraction for young children.

Since reorienting so much class time around screens, schools have seen lower student proficiency and fostered increasingly isolated childhood experiences, which studies show correlate with rising anxiety and depression.

A high school in Connecticut will require students to display Yondr pouches and ensure they are locked before entering the building. If a student is found to be lying about not having a phone, consequences will follow.

The Georgia Senate is considering a bill that would ban cellphones in elementary and middle schools. Lawmakers say restrictions for high schools may follow once today's younger students are used to going without phones.

The Gen Z representative who authored the bill, which would give local district leaders some control over their own policies, told colleagues she remembered how distracting phones were when she was in school.

K-12 schools are embracing the use of educational apps for many functions, and while administrators feel positive about this approach, parents and teachers may have “app overload,” according to a report last week.

Ohio lawmakers last year passed a bill requiring schools to limit phone use during the day, but Gov. Mike DeWine called on them to finish the job and pass a bill banning phones from use during school hours altogether.

Bipartisan bills advancing through the North Carolina House and Senate would require school districts to create their own restrictions for cellphone use during class.

In her State of the State address this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to call for state legislation to address smartphone distractions in schools, but local control remains important to many superintendents.

While many teachers and administrators have reported positive changes after phone bans, students found ways to bypass those rules by slipping calculators or dummy phones into pouches, or switching to smartwatches.

A school board in New Jersey adopted a policy prohibiting its own members from using smart devices during board meetings, aiming to lead by example after adopting phone restrictions for students last September.

A student group at Denham Springs High School won the national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition with a project involving sensors to monitor Lake Maurepas and relay data to a public app.