In school after school, the story is the same: Students’ smartphones are distracting them from learning and eroding mental health and in-person social connection. This places an untenable burden on teachers and administrators who police their use according to the policies of their schools. To address this in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I have introduced a resolution to ban student cellphones during the school day. I believe this policy is necessary to create healthier learning environments for our kids.
Research backs up what I’ve observed in my visits to schools. In psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Creating an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” he shows how the use of smartphones and social media, as well as having access to both in schools, leads to higher rates of depression, anxiety, cyberbullying and physical fights. Additionally, phones and social media drive lower rates of meaningful in-person interaction and less beneficial social-emotional development.
Opinion
Guerrero: Smartphones take a toll on teenagers. What choice do parents have?
The older children are when they get their first smartphone, the better their mental health later in life. That’s little consolation to teens feeling left out when all their friends are connected.
May 22, 2023
The academic toll is just as stark. A UNESCO report from 2023 laid out clear indications of the negative effects that mobile phones are having on education globally, citing increased classroom distractions and decreased academic performance.
As studies prove the harm of smartphones and social media, initiatives to curb student phone use in schools are gaining steam across the country — and the world. A handful of states, including Indiana and Florida, and even more schools and districts have implemented bans on smartphones in schools. And California is one of at least a half-dozen states that have legislation pending.
The new regulations appear to be working. Several studies have indicated that curbing phone usage in the classroom increases academic performance, with test score gains akin to gains made when an hour is added to the school week. A study of schools in Spain that imposed smartphone bans showed a jump in test scores and a significant drop in cyberbullying. Researchers have found physical benefits too, as phone limitation during recess leads to more time spent being active.
California
LAUSD fined $8 million for staffing violations. Too many students, not enough teachers
California fines LAUSD $8.1 million after finding it violated transitional kindergarten requirements over classroom size and staffing amid the grade level’s expansion.
June 7, 2024
School principals in LAUSD who have implemented phone-free school day policies report that fighting is down, student engagement is up and the overall campus environment is more positive. But currentdistrict policy hasn’t been updated since 2011, so they’ve had to take it upon themselves to put stricter rules into effect. If the new policy is approved, principals will simply carry out district guidance.
A smartphone ban in LAUSD schools would come with challenges, particularly related to enforcement. But these are surmountable hurdles. Many schools distribute magnetically sealed cellphone pouches to students. The pouches lock and unlock with a specialized magnet, which are placed near school entrances. Students tap their pouch to lock it when they come to school and then tap it again to unlock it when they leave. Another option is collecting devices in a cellphone locker in the morning; students can retrieve them at the end of the day or in the case of an emergency.
Some schools rely on trust and an honor code — kids can keep their phones but promise not to have them on or out during the day. According to Haidt, however, without actually removing the devices from the equation, teachers and staff end up having to enforce the bans on top of their already full workloads. Even the most vigilant teachers can’t always prevent surreptitious scrolling. And one-on-one enforcement takes more time from teachers and administrators than confiscating phones and then returning them at the start and end of the school day.
A common concern about locking away smartphones is that in an emergency, students won’t be able to call for help. Some public safety experts say that it’s safer for kids not to have their phones in emergency situations. In the case of an active shooter, for example, too many students calling 911 could overload a switchboard, and noises or vibrations from a phone could reveal a student’s location. School officials, not students, need to be executing emergency plans and communicating with teachers, students, parents and law enforcement.
Advertisem*nt
Implementing a smartphone-free policy in LAUSD schools is not an attempt to ignore the realities of the digital age. Students will still have access to the internet with district-provided laptops and tablets. By removing personal smartphones and social media from the school day, we will help keep kids focused on the technology that supports education by insulating them from the distractions of technology that does not.
Just as we ban harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol in schools, we must also implement a districtwide protocol that addresses the adverse effects smartphones and social media have on kids. By going phone-free, LAUSD can help restore learning environments that foster focus, social connectedness and healthy development. Our kids deserve no less.
Nick Melvoin is a member of the Los Angeles Board of Education. @NickMelvoin
More to Read
Opinion: Does social media rewire kids’ brains? Here’s what the science really says
April 26, 2024
L.A. school district probes inappropriate images shared at Fairfax High. More AI abuse?
April 9, 2024
LAUSD’s new student advisor is an AI bot that designs academic plans, suggests books
By removing personal smartphones and social media from the school day, we will help keep kids focused on the technology that supports education
education
Education is about learning skills and knowledge. It also means helping people to learn how to do things and support them to think about what they learn. It is also important for educators to teach ways to find and use information. Education needs research to find out how to make it better.
In a recent Times opinion essay, Los Angeles Board of Education member Nick Melvoin called for a ban on smartphones in L.A.'s public schools. "Curbing phone usage in the classroom increases academic performance, with test score gains akin to gains made when an hour is added to the school week," he wrote.
Reduced Distractions: Cellphones can be addictive and disrupt focus, hindering learning and engagement in the classroom. Also, students easily gets distracted through social media platforms. Banning them promotes attentiveness to lessons and class activities.
If a student can obey these rules and not use it in a disrespectful manner , then there should not be any issues. Cellular phones should be allowed in schools for threatening emergencies, to avoid double standards between teachers and students and most of all to help students with research purposes.
This technology raises legal issues of privacy and harassment. Cyberbullying also becomes more of an increased issue with access to social media sites, not to mention the distraction that social media and texting can pose to educational process for any child.
Distraction: Cell phones can be a source of distraction for students, leading to decreased focus and attention in the classroom. Cyberbullying: Cell phones can contribute to cyberbullying, as students may use them to send hurtful messages or share inappropriate content.
LOS ANGELES -- The nation's second-largest school district has voted to ban cellphone and social media use for over 429,000 K-12 students during school days. The Los Angeles Unified School District board passed the ban by a vote of 5 to 2 on Tuesday morning, one day after U.S. Surgeon General Dr.
Spending hours hunched over a screen can lead to poor posture, musculoskeletal issues, and a lack of interest in outdoor activities and exercise. Negative Impact on Mental Health: Excessive use of mobile phones has been linked to various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
Students find ways to text, surf the web, and post on social media while the teacher is instructing. They hide their devices in their laps, sweatshirt pockets, or even open pockets of their backpacks. The end result is that they are only half-present in the classroom for much of the time.
When you're glued to your phone, you miss out on quality time with friends or family and exciting experiences. There are other negative effects of excessive cell phone usage, including the following: - Mental health issues: Studies prove that excessive cell phone use can lead to anxiety and depression.
Parents and principals who favor banning cell phones in classrooms argue they distract students and diminish focus, can provide students access to questionable content, increase cyberbullying and other disciplinary issues, create physical and mental health issues, encourage cheating and potentially expose children to ...
Mobile phones aren't just distractions at school. They can be tools for safety, connection, and learning when used responsibly. Creating an environment where schools, parents, and students constructively use phones is possible. Allowing cell phones in school is not just about convenience.
However, we are proposing that being able to use phones during designated times is, in fact, a good idea. Lunch and recess are good times for students to de-stress and calm down, and sometimes just going on your phone for 5-15 minutes can help with that.
Students are able to contact parents, guardians or the authorities without much hassle and vice versa. This can be especially useful in emergency situations. In fact, it can be a literal life-saver in dangerous situations such as kidnappings, accidents, and assaults.
The Los Angeles ban, which will take effect by the spring 2025 semester, goes beyond the school district's existing policy, which bans students from using cell phones during class instruction and limits social media use at school to “educational purposes.”
Implementation has varied from classroom to classroom, and teachers find it difficult to police without consistent consequences. The move by the Los Angeles school board, which voted 5 to 2 in favor of the ban, clears the way for school leaders to create a policy on how to ban devices that would take effect by January.
In 2019, Governor Newsom signed AB 272 (Muratsuchi) into law, which grants school districts the authority to regulate the use of smartphones during school hours. Building on that legislation, he is currently working with the California Legislature to further limit student smartphone use on campuses.
Los Angeles Unified Is Banning Cellphones: A Board Member Explains Why and How. Los Angeles schools gave a major boost to the movement to ban cellphones in schools when the board of the second largest district in the country voted to do just that.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
