School districts around the country are cracking down on cell phones and have been creating new policies that stop students from using them in school. Many teachers have reported problems with students having addictions to their cell phones. Cell phones do not only distract students in class they can also be used to bully fellow classmates.
Cell phones are constantly distracting students because it is so easy to just reach down in your pocket and escape into another world. The districts that implemented cell phone bans have experienced great improvement in student test scores and overall productivity. According to an article by the New York Times, “teachers say that phone bans in the classroom have helped improve students’ ability to concentrate on their lessons and work in groups.” Cell phone bans can improve students’ academic ability and focus in the classroom, but that is not the only reason there is a movement to have them banned.
Cell phones are a danger to many students because they can be used to record anything without consent. In several cases, cell phones have been used to bully and share videos of students. According to the New York Times, “students have also used their phones to bully, sexually exploit and share videos of physical attacks on their peers.” Without cell phones being in the hands of students, there is less oppoprtunity that they can be used inappropriately.
According to junior Cal Regan, “cell phones are a plague that infected our school with many different problems, now with the new cell phone bans being implemented the problems created by cell phones has been reduced nearly to none.”
It isn’t only students who are addicted to cell phones, however, many adults are consumed by the electronic device in their pocket. Teaching students how to live life without complete dependence on cell phones is a good way to help prepare them for the real world and teach them to use technology responsibly.