The iPhone was released a few months after my birthday in 2007. No one really had them when I was growing up, even my mom just had a Blackberry. Now, almost 18 years later, smartphones are everywhere, even in school.

The conversation around phone accessibility during the school day has become an increasingly controversial topic across the country as more and more states pass laws that either restrict or ban phone usage in K-12 public schools. States like Florida, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Louisiana all have laws that restrict phone usage in schools, and Texas may possibly be added to the list. A new bill, which if passed would go into effect next school year, could ban phones in Texas public schools, by locking them in lock boxes, for students to pick back up at the end of the day.

I don’t support such a drastic ban of locking up phones in lock boxes, it seems expensive and I believe it would cause safety concerns and unnecessary worry from students and parents. This being said, I do think that schools should have stricter regulations that do not allow students to have their phones out during class time because phones do not belong in a learning environment.

At my middle school, Lamar, we weren’t allowed to use our phones during the school day. When I got to high school, I really disliked the lack of supervision on phones because not only did the space around me feel distracted, but so did I. I found myself relying more on checking my phone or scrolling social media for no reason when I was bored. In middle school though, when I got bored I would read books, like many of my friends did. But now, it seems like when people are bored, everyone turns to their phone, because at an age so prone to peer pressure it’s hard being the only one reading a book, you’re the odd one out. Even though it’s a place to learn.

It’s not hard to see why you would get distracted by your phone though, they just aren’t an easy thing to set aside and ignore. They´ve been created to draw your attention, from the colors, to the notifications, and especially, if students have social media. 

Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 use social media, with around 70% of teens and young adults in the U.S. saying they have a social media addiction. In an advisory earlier this year, U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy, shared that “adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. …Teenagers spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media. … When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse.” Murthy continued, saying that we “cannot conclude it is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents” and for people to “act swiftly and decisively to protect children and adolescents from risk of harm.’

As social media takes over much of some students’ time, along with other distractions created by a phone, it has led to a noticeable effect when allowed in classrooms. Seventy-two percent of high school teachers across the country say that cell phone distractions are a major problem in their classroom, I’ve been in too many classrooms where it’s really just the teacher talking to an empty room. One of my teachers, who got tired of the constant distraction, began putting our phones at the back of the class this year and has said that it feels like she is no longer fighting against something to get our attention.

So do these phone bans actually work? Academically, schools like Robert T. Hill middle school in Dallas ISD, who implemented a ban a few years ago, reported a 13-point gain in the number of students meeting expectations on the STAAR test, and as for socially, they’ve also seen a 75% decrease in bullying. Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, in south Austin, recently adopted a ban this year. My sister attends Ann Richards and despite a lot of initial backlash from students and teachers, it appears that eventually the community adapted and are more present whether that be in or outside of class.

It’s understandable to not want to have bans on phones, but I believe it’s the necessary step to get this situation under control. Not everyone is a part of the problem, but as a whole we can all be a part of the solution to create a phone-free environment that encourages and supports students learning and engagement.