A New School Cell Phone Policy
Students and teachers will have to put them (truly) away during class time.
Emmaus High School has a new cell phone policy this school year that is sure to be controversial. Let me share some info on the policy, as well as some reasons why I think it is a good one, being rolled out in an effective way.
The New Phone Policy in a Nutshell
Cell phones have been largely unregulated in Emmaus High School for years now. In theory, individual teachers have always had the authority to limit cell phone use during lessons and tests. Some do. But in practice, there has not been any school-wide enforcement and most teachers have tolerated the frequent non-school-related use of cell phones throughout the school day.
The new policy promises to dramatically cut down on texting, web-browsing, video games, and social media scrolling during instructional time. Here are the most important elements of the new policy:
All cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, and other electronic devices must be turned off and out of sight in all classrooms during the school day.
Students will be required to place their phone in either a central phone 'caddy' in the classroom or a school-provided sealed pouch while in class.
Students will not be permitted to bring their phones to the bathroom during class time.
Teachers may not have their own cell phones out during class time.
Teachers may optionally provide a single 2-3 minute phone break per class period.
Students may still use their cell phones and other electronic devices between classes, during lunch, in study halls, etc.
You can read the full plan for yourself in the updated EHS Parent/Student Handbook. Teachers will be able to suspend some of these rules if they have instructional activities or exercises that specifically require phone use. There are also exceptions in place for students who require phone access for medical reasons (to monitor health metrics, for example).
Less Phone Use Helps Kids
One of the obstacles to any intelligent discussion about the effects of cell phones is that we all have a phone of our own, which leads us to think we know more than we really do about their impact. The fact is, careful research studies-- not our own personal anecdotes-- are the best way to come to informed opinions about this issue. If you want to really dig into this topic yourself, check out this 94-page (and growing) list of studies on cell phones in schools. It includes all known studies about cell phones in schools, not just those that prove one particular point or another.
The overall conclusion of these hundreds of studies and articles is clear: Regular cell phone use in the classroom harms student learning (not to mention mental health). Let me quote from the summary of just one of the hundreds of studies on the list:
"Students who were not using their mobile phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones." Kuznekoff & Titsworth (2013)
I could go on and on with dozens of other examples like this, but you get the idea. Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a well-known social psychologist at New York University who helps maintain the list of studies on the topic, summarizes what we now know overall about classroom cell phone use this way:
"The problem is not just transient distraction, though any distraction in the classroom will impede learning. Heavy phone or social-media use may also have a cumulative, enduring, and deleterious effect on adolescents’ abilities to focus and apply themselves." (Jonathan Haidt, Get Phones Out of Schools Now)
We owe it to our kids to give them an enforced break from their phones. I think back to when I was a teenager, and there is no way I had the maturity or willpower to resist the delights of a cell phone in the middle of algebra class. Should we really be asking our kids to resist that temptation on their own?
Phone Restrictions Don't Reduce Safety
The most common objection I hear to no-phone policies is that constant phone access is necessary for student safety. It’s worth remembering, though, that nothing in this policy says students won’t have access to their phones in an emergency. I have a hard time imagining a realistic scenario in which having a cell phone in your pocket or lap during class would make you more safe than if your phone was in a pouch in your backpack, or a pocket on the classroom wall.
Parents surely get some peace of mind in the knowledge that they can reach their teenager at any moment of the day. But if we're being completely honest with ourselves, I think we have to admit that this is putting our own psycho-emotional desires as parents ahead of our kids' needs in school. Is it such a bad thing that they might have a handful of blocks during the school day where we can't reach them? After all, in a true emergency, we'll always be able to call the office and have someone go get them-- just like our parents did when we were in school.
A Good Rollout Thus Far
I have thus far appreciated how high school administrators are implementing the new policy too. Most importantly, they communicated the new rules to students and parents far in advance. High school families received notification of the policy change in early June, so they've had all summer to prepare for it. The notification was thorough, with a detailed explanation of why the new policy is needed, how it will be implemented, what the consequences will be for breaking the rules, and where families can go for more information (much of which is now available in the EHS Parent/Student Handbook).
I also appreciate that the policy applies to the entire high school, rather than putting it on the backs of each individual teacher to make up their own classroom rules. The pressure from students (and some parents) to allow ever more cell phone use is enormous, and it is better that as much of that pressure is directed at the school administration instead of the instructors in the classroom. School-wide adoption also promises to reduce the fear so many adolescents have of FOMO (fear of missing out) when they are not constantly on their phones. If everyone has to have their phone put away, students can have greater confidence that they aren't going to miss a social media post or text from a friend in another class.
The new policy is going to be tough on everyone at first. But I think the medium- and long- term gains to student learning, mental health, and academic success will be well worth the initial struggle to change habits and expectations in school. I hope the administrators are able to withstand the pressure that will inevitably come from some students and some parents who dislike the policy. I suspect high schools in other area districts will be watching closely to see if the administration is able to withstand this pressure. And I hope too that Eyer and Lower Macungie middle schools will consider adopting a similar policy.
Want to Know More?
Here are some places to go for further information about cell phone use among teenagers, particularly in schools.
Dr. Jonathan Haidt, "Get Phones Out of Schools Now" (The Atlantic, June 2023): A more extended, forceful argument for why we are overdue for phone limits in schools.
Away for the Day: A website site that provides basic statistics about academic and mental health impacts of cell phones in schools.
Trevor Haynes, "Dopamine, Smartphones, and You" (Harvard GSAS, May 2018): An easy-to-understand explanation of how constant cell phone use changes our brains.
You might also be interested in these related posts I've made:
What do you think about the new policy? Where do you agree with me, and where do you disagree? I'd love to hear from you! Just hit 'reply' to this email or-- if you're reading this on the web-- you can post your comment below.