Those Damn Cell-Phones
So I’m reading one of the New York rags the other day. I love the rags (i.e., the New York Post and the New York Daily News). First of all, you get the best sports section in the country when you read the Post. Secondly, you find articles in both papers that you will never, EVER find in The New York Times, or any other paper in the New York City area. Secondly, you get pieces like, Dog Attacks Cheetah in Subway...And WINS! Or, Rollerblading Bro Robs Gas Station With Gun Then Flees on Getaway Skates. I love the Post! But don’t get me wrong. There is serious news in the rags, and there are serious writers. Which brings us to cell-phones in schools.
The State of New York, following in the footsteps of many other states, is banning smartphones in K-12 schools. Doing so may improve social capital and community around the state. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who did her best to destroy the educational system in New York State during the COVID crisis, recently announced a “bell-to-bell” ban, which prevents “unsanctioned use” of digital devices during class, lunch, and other parts of the school day. The rationale for the ban, according to Ms. Hochul, is to prevent younger New Yorkers from “compulsive social media use and distractions” that interfere with schoolwork. The Governor stated that this ban means the state is “protecting them from addictive technology designed to hijack their attention…Cellphones have dragged too many of our kids into dark places.”
Theoretically, in addition to addressing issues such as social media addiction and cyberbullying, the elimination of smart devices is expected to enhance student participation and focus in classes. New York state teachers’ union president Melinda Person supports this digital ban and thinks that it will improve focus and educational outcomes because a device free environment keeps students from “counting down minutes in each class for a few moments of screen time during passing periods.” Simply put, this is a rare policy moment where there is widespread support for a bell-to-bell ban which has won broad praise as a sound approach to improving learning conditions in schools.
Now, I'm a little leery of the idea that no phones will keep kids from watching the clocks. There are always going to be distractions in the classrooms. Kids clock-watching for lunch; study hall; wanting to see boyfriends and girlfriends, or girlfriends and boyfriends. I mean, uh, not me! The few young women who felt sorry enough to grant me a few dates had one rule, and one rule only. “Now Peter, don't EVER speak to me in school.” It was like they held a lottery and the loser got me! Scarred me for life! But I digress...
Theoretically, in addition to addressing issues such as social media addiction and cyberbullying, the elimination of smart devices is expected to enhance student participation and focus in classes. New York state teachers’ union president Melinda Person supports this digital ban and thinks that it will improve focus and educational outcomes because a device free environment keeps students from “counting down minutes in each class for a few moments of screen time during passing periods.” Simply put, this is a rare policy moment where there is widespread support for a bell-to-bell ban which has won broad praise as a sound approach to improving learning conditions in schools.
Now, I'm a little leery of the idea that no phones will keep kids from watching the clocks. There are always going to be distractions in the classrooms. Kids clock-watching for lunch; study hall; wanting to see boyfriends and girlfriends, or girlfriends and boyfriends. I mean, uh, not me! The few young women who felt sorry enough to grant me a few dates had one rule, and one rule only. “Now Peter, don't EVER speak to me in school.” It was like they held a lottery and the loser got me! Scarred me for life! But I digress...
Personally, I think schools should be phone-free. I even asked a couple of friends of mine who are teachers, and got the same answer...No Phones! These guys have even asked their students to put all of their devices away in their classes. They have found that their classes are far better when students are not on their phones. While there is often resistance and awkwardness to the request at first – these devices are functionally extensions of the students themselves—the same students share that by the end of term/semester, they find that the classes and the subject lessons and seminars are more focused and thought-provoking. As teachers, they have found the time flies by and that student participation and engagement have appreciably improved.
And while these teachers/professors have seen the benefits of a phone and laptop-free classroom, even I know that removing digital devices is not a silver bullet to solve the understandable troubles of students; there is far more work to be done. Removing devices will not magically curb social media addiction outside of school or end bullying, nor will schools without digital distractions magically solve the nation’s loneliness crisis, hitting younger Americans at rates higher than older Americans.
Polls and data have shown that phone bans have produced notably mixed results. Even with bans in place, students will continue to be hooked to their devices at home. Online bullying, too, will continue to persist. But eliminating digital disruptions during the school day seems to be a great step towards improving the social health of students. Removing digital devices may improve interpersonal relationships and give students a fighting chance for a third of the day to connect with others and be rid of the very devices that cocoon, polarize, and dehumanize so many of their peers.
Imagine that when the bell rings, students do not immediately pull out their phones to check Tik-Tok, but instead have to look their classmates in the eyes and make small talk or plans in person. What if, instead of distractedly walking down the hall with their devices out, students are present and seeing what is going on around them, what is posted on the walls, and casually connecting with others for a few minutes? What if students were less worried about being recorded, or projecting an image to be photographed? Instead of sitting alone during a break period or eating lunch with digital devices out and being fully engrossed, students may now have to socialize and connect, face-to-face in real time and space.
The entire social world in school can be upended with bell-to-bell bans, and the new social norms that are going to develop without smartphones will feel uncomfortable at first. But they will be well worth the initial discomfort. In the long run, the conditions to connect meaningfully and widely will reemerge in our schools.
Without omnipresent digital distractions, students may have moments to daydream, ponder, hope, and think. Their moods and focus may change, and they will have to fill their time differently, which is where socialization, community, creativity, and social capital can emerge without having to constantly look toward or rely on the digital world. Students will have to engage with the world around them quite differently and this may lead to lower levels of social anomie and improved mental health. They will have to participate without capturing and sharing every moment. And our children may now be forced to think for themselves and work through difference with their peers without being online.
While there are no guarantees, smart device bans may give today’s youngsters a real chance to connect the way we once did and have the conditions to create deep, meaningful, and long-lasting relationships offline and in the real world. I hope…
And while these teachers/professors have seen the benefits of a phone and laptop-free classroom, even I know that removing digital devices is not a silver bullet to solve the understandable troubles of students; there is far more work to be done. Removing devices will not magically curb social media addiction outside of school or end bullying, nor will schools without digital distractions magically solve the nation’s loneliness crisis, hitting younger Americans at rates higher than older Americans.
Polls and data have shown that phone bans have produced notably mixed results. Even with bans in place, students will continue to be hooked to their devices at home. Online bullying, too, will continue to persist. But eliminating digital disruptions during the school day seems to be a great step towards improving the social health of students. Removing digital devices may improve interpersonal relationships and give students a fighting chance for a third of the day to connect with others and be rid of the very devices that cocoon, polarize, and dehumanize so many of their peers.
Imagine that when the bell rings, students do not immediately pull out their phones to check Tik-Tok, but instead have to look their classmates in the eyes and make small talk or plans in person. What if, instead of distractedly walking down the hall with their devices out, students are present and seeing what is going on around them, what is posted on the walls, and casually connecting with others for a few minutes? What if students were less worried about being recorded, or projecting an image to be photographed? Instead of sitting alone during a break period or eating lunch with digital devices out and being fully engrossed, students may now have to socialize and connect, face-to-face in real time and space.
The entire social world in school can be upended with bell-to-bell bans, and the new social norms that are going to develop without smartphones will feel uncomfortable at first. But they will be well worth the initial discomfort. In the long run, the conditions to connect meaningfully and widely will reemerge in our schools.
Without omnipresent digital distractions, students may have moments to daydream, ponder, hope, and think. Their moods and focus may change, and they will have to fill their time differently, which is where socialization, community, creativity, and social capital can emerge without having to constantly look toward or rely on the digital world. Students will have to engage with the world around them quite differently and this may lead to lower levels of social anomie and improved mental health. They will have to participate without capturing and sharing every moment. And our children may now be forced to think for themselves and work through difference with their peers without being online.
While there are no guarantees, smart device bans may give today’s youngsters a real chance to connect the way we once did and have the conditions to create deep, meaningful, and long-lasting relationships offline and in the real world. I hope…
Write to Peter: magtour@icloud.com
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