BY: Beanie Geoghegan
As the new school year begins, many educators and school leaders across the country are celebrating the laws their legislators passed in the past year to rein in cell phone distractions in schools. Twenty-six states have now enacted some type of regulation regarding cell phone use in K-12 schools, relieving at least some of the burden from teachers and local school administrators who have tried, often unsuccessfully, to establish their own set of rules and guidelines.
Removing cell phones and the distraction they bring from classrooms is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, just as quickly as those small screens are being removed, larger screens are taking their place, and their use is often required by the very people celebrating the cell phone restrictions. This current trend of banning cell phones while ushering in 1:1 devices is analogous to swapping out chocolate chip muffins for donuts at breakfast. While there might be some advantages, many of the concerning issues persist.
It is not uncommon today for K-12 public schools to issue laptops and iPads to every student instead of textbooks. While some see this as progress, others see it as the continuation of the ongoing regression they’re witnessing in students. A recent study from the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that the more children engaged with electronic screens, the more likely they were to develop socioemotional problems. This included both internalizing problems, such as anxiety and depression, and externalizing problems, such as aggression and hyperactivity.”
Ironically, schools nationwide are spending billions of dollars on “mental health services” to serve students who claim they are struggling with anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and hyperactivity. It’s almost as if schools are creating or at least contributing to the problems they are attempting to address.
Aside from the social and emotional problems caused by excessive screen time, there is little evidence to support that 1:1 devices demonstrably improve academic outcomes. When seeking data on this topic, most studies point to “improved student engagement”, but every good educator knows that engagement does not necessarily equal learning. If the results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tell us anything, it’s that the rise in 1:1 devices has not led to an increase in student achievement.
The argument for ridding classrooms of cell phones while continuing a reliance on devices for textbooks and assignments is often due in part to the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of devices. That sounds like a logical argument in theory, but in reality, it falls short. Districts must incur the cost of purchasing the devices and licensing the software and apps loaded on them. They also must hire more staff or contractors for troubleshooting and repairing malfunctioning and broken devices. In addition, teachers and staff require training on the various programs and platforms. While the cost varies by district and state, we know that the total amount is in the billions nationally.
Another common argument made by those who support 1:1 devices but celebrate cell phone bans is that schools have control over how and when students use their devices, but not their phones. This may be partially true, but students quickly figure out ways around filters and blocks put in place by schools (another cost incurred), create ways to communicate with their friends using the device, or get distracted by the “educational” games loaded on it. Rather than considering a return to paper and pencil to counter these breaches, districts and schools invest even more of their budgets in advanced technology to filter and block what students can access.
There is no denying that technology is here to stay and that it can be a valuable tool to help streamline tasks and optimize our time, but it should be used as a tool to enhance human flourishing rather than a replacement for human effort. This is nowhere more important than in K-12 classrooms. So, let’s celebrate the cell phone bans that free students from the distraction of those tiny screens, but let’s also work to free them from the dependency and distraction of the big screens as well.
