Smart Devices

Kids and adults alike seem to understand that the rapid change in cellphone use post-COVID has not been good for them, but they don't agree on exactly how to change the rules to make them work for everyone.

The South Carolina Department of Education is expected to draft a model cellphone policy in August. Many students at schools that have already piloted cellphone restrictions were pleasantly surprised at their effect.

School districts and state and local governments across the U.S. have been approving policies restricting student cellphone use in class. Many teachers are desperate for the help, and some have already seen improvements.

After KIPP NYC College Prep restricted smartphone use in class, AP test scores increased, grades bounced back to pre-pandemic averages, and attendance at sporting events and other activities jumped by 50 percent.

Officials in Middletown, N.J., have proposed a policy banning smartphone use in classrooms, bathrooms, locker rooms and most spaces outside of high school free periods, as a statewide ban is discussed.

A new bill offers grant funding to purchase smartphone bags for schools that prohibit the use of cellphones during the school day. A statewide prohibition on student cellphone use during school is also in the works.

Amid the national conversation about whether cellphones belong in schools, a recent high school graduate from North Carolina defends them as tools for lonely students to find and connect with like-minded peers.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul inched toward a statewide ban on smartphones in schools, launching a “listening tour” that would span the state, aiming to hear from teachers and parents.

An 18-year-old youth advocate from the nonprofit Work2BeWell argues that instead of banning cellphones, schools should teach students proper cellphone etiquette alongside digital literacy.

A teen who recently graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati says students need to be able to contact their parents in case of schedule changes or emergencies, but they should take regular breaks from screens.

Westmont Hilltop School District in Pennsylvania worked with the school website company Edlio to build a mobile app for sharing news, information about events, field trip permission slips and other communications.

Nine groups including teachers and parents across Maine have joined forces to convince schools to ban cellphone use during the day, and parents to adopt new norms around how often their kids can access devices.

Proposed legislation approved in the Pennsylvania State Senate would give school districts money for lockable pouches to store student phones if those districts ban cell phone use during the school day.

As the California legislature works on a bill to restrict cellphone usage in classrooms, school administrators who have seen kids addicted to their phones at young ages are open to the idea and hope it provides guidance.

Many Bay Area school districts already restrict cellphone use in schools but allow students to use their phones during non-instructional time. Students and staff have mixed opinions on the idea of a statewide policy.

To curb distractions during class, a school district in North Alabama will no longer allow non-school-issued student devices to connect to its network, exempting students with certain medical conditions.

Teachers and administrators are finding it increasingly difficult to get students to focus in class, and a district-wide policy for collecting phones would avoid putting the onus on teachers to confront defiant students.

If students are on their phones too much, it has at least something to do with learning that behavior from adults. As schools ban phones, it becomes increasingly important for parents and teachers to put theirs down, too.