Phone Or No Phone? 10 Pros and Cons On Phone Use In School

Parents, teachers, and students are divided on the use of phones at school. Throughout the year, we hear debates about who holds the real authority, who pays the phone bill, and who’s doing their job. Is it an issue or an asset? Let’s discuss 10 pros and cons of students not using phones in school.

The benefits of prohibiting phone use

1. Increased Focus

Phones are distracting and it’s undeniable. Students often quickly respond to their phones vibrating and illuminating at any moment. They’ll shockingly even have the audacity to whip it out while the professor instructs lessons. It’s slightly understandable as school is very prisonlike, very boring. 72% of high school teachers report that pupils’ distraction by their devices is a significant issue. A third of middle school educators and 6% of elementary school teachers share this sentiment. 

2. Encourages Social Interaction

Students are so engaged with their phones that they forget to engage healthily with each other. As a result, it’s impossible to see a hallway, cafeteria or gymnasium full of students. This is largely due to the rise in instant messaging and social media, which has caused a disconnect in face-to-face engagement.

3. Reduces Cyberbullying

A new culture of hypervigilance has become normal, and it’s detrimental to students. But why is that? Everyone is trying to avoid and induce public embarrassment simultaneously. With a camera and a microphone in their back pocket, cyberbullying is nearly impossible to stop. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 1 in 4 middle and high school students may experience cyberbullying within 30 days. Moreover, everyone’s background, appearance and income differ; which means students actively on their phones may quickly capture that to make a spectacle of someone.

5. Improves Academic Performance

Phone leisure is a distraction that certainly impacts academic performance. For instance, students often lose focus by getting absorbed in their phones during lessons. In support of this, the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted research on screen time and academic performance. Their data suggests that students spending more free time on devices leads to lower performance in subjects like math.

6. Encourages Physical Activity

As children age, recess lessens along with physical activity. Cell phone use only worsens these sedentary habits as students ignore interacting with their peers. Many students avoid playing sports or joining clubs, encouraging dependency on their devices. Step into any high school gym to see the concerning amount of students glued to their phones.

7. Reduces Academic Dishonesty

Everyone has cheated at some point, though some do it more creatively than others. Nowadays, students have intelligent search tools at their fingertips readily available. Psychology Today reported research stating that 70% to 80% of high school students admit to cheating. Any adult can attest that cheating is simply delayed development disguised by instant gratification.

8. Improves Sleeping Habits

Most students from middle to high school unfortunately don’t get sufficient sleep. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that almost 58% and 73% weren’t resting enough on school nights respectively. Overconsumption of blue light emitted by cell phones may impact this. It restrains melatonin production, disrupting the student’s sleep-wake cycle.

9. Decreases Anxiety

Social media is known to induce anxiety. For students, that negatively impacts their developing minds. Brains become hard-wired to respond immediately to the sound of notifications. Delayed acknowledgment promotes anxiety for the student. It’s essentially the “fear of missing out.” However, social media engagement is harmful as overconsumption brings about feelings of loneliness.

10. Promotes Self-Discipline

These addictive gadgets are an easy copout for discipline. Phones store calendars, reminders, and notes among more. They even have built-in assistants like Siri that respond to the sound of their name. Without them, students must rely on themselves to stay disciplined and high-functioning.

The drawbacks of prohibiting phone use

1. Safety Hazard

Schools, once a haven for students, have become a target for school shootings. Officials have reported 35 school shootings this year. Just last month, a teen shot and killed two students and two teachers at Georgia’s Apalachee High School. Parents and students should be accessible to one another in case of an emergency or illness.

2. Limits Educational Technology Access

Teachers are using technology more than ever. For instance, students use learning platforms like Kahoot to play classroom games, and teachers distribute tests through digital learning systems. Therefore, prohibiting students from using their phones during school would heavily hinder their involvement.

3. Induces Stress

The world’s current addiction is social media. It ensnares students, playing a major role in their reality. Cross River Therapy reports around 70% of teens and young adults have a social media addiction. Taking their devices is bound to stress them out as they anxiously await for the next notification.

4. Eliminates Relaxation

People often use their phones as an escape, students included. It can be draining to absorb information all day among hundreds of peers. They can use their phones and leisure time to decompress during the school day. Listening to music indeed relaxes people and reduces mental stress. Scholars need a break to recollect themselves throughout their rigorous days.

5. Delays Organization

Calendar, note and reminder apps have become the go-to for task organization. Students are now more likely to document an upcoming task on their phone rather than journal it. While some still use planners, the need for tangible organization is dwindling as technology continues to grow.

6. Increases Social Isolation

Today’s generation talks at each other rather than to each other. From seesawing memes to delayed texting, students live online. They deal with FOMO and missing viral moments without their phone. That’s crucial for teens who seek acceptance and want to stay in vogue.

7. Limited Disability Access

Disabled students are included in this conversation. They rely on assistive technology, like text-to-speech and voice recognition, to manage their coursework. In the 2022-23 school year, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act served 7.5 million students. Restricting these students from phone use only delays their learning experience.

8. Language Barrier for ESL Students

English as a second language (ESL) students are in a unique position. In 2021 alone, 5.3 million ESL students were enrolled across the United States. For many of them, technology plays a crucial role in bridging the language gap in school. In fact, using their phones to practice a new language and communicate with others is vital.

9. Impairs Autonomy

No student wants to be told what to do. As a result, prohibiting phone use will likely produce pushback from pupils. In truth, most will argue that they are mature enough to discipline themselves without authoritative instruction.

10. Increases Tension Between Student and Authority

The last thing anyone wants is tension between the educator and pupil. However, teachers often notice imminent problems that students cannot. This naivete creates a disconnect. Ultimately, parents are the primary authorities, and it’s best to allow them to take on that role.

Despite conflicting opinions, cell phones are undeniably powerful and valuable. Parents, teachers, and students must figure out how to properly integrate it into the new educational system.