New York City should ban cellphones from school

New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks said a cellphone ban for schools could be passed in a few weeks. Banks and his colleagues should ban cellphones from school as they distract from learning and can hurt the mental health of minors.

Banks is not alone in wanting to restrict the use of cellphones in schools. His move is likely in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D-NY) call for a ban on smartphones in schools. This mirrors other governors’ initiatives. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) vowed last week to limit the use of smartphones in schools. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a law last year that blocked children from using social media.

All of these government and school officials are recognizing a clear problem, that cellphones harm student outcomes. More than half of teenagers are on screens for four or more hours a day. Nearly half of U.S. parents worry their children are addicted to mobile devices. Dr. Sarah Domoff, a clinical psychologist at Central Michigan University, said, “Higher addictive phone use scores [are] associated with poorer academic achievement, such as lower grades.”

Teachers also do not have a high opinion of cellphone use in school; 80% of teachers think phones are a distraction for students. A majority say they are distracted by students using their phones in class. Cellphone use not only affects the individual student but also the teacher and therefore the entire class.

Finally, most children and teenagers use their phones to access social media. Minors are not developed mentally enough to properly regulate their use of screens and social media. Excessive social media use is associated with depression and other mental health problems. Body image problems and eating disorders are linked with excessive use of social media, especially among adolescent girls.

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Cellphones have many great uses for children and teenagers. They enable children to communicate with their parents and one another. But they do not belong in schools. Schools are meant to educate their students, and anything that takes away from that mission should be banned. If parents need to reach their children, they can use school phones and other means to contact them with essential messages.

After all, schools were fine before cellphones entered the scene. While there will need to be space and time for adjustments to schools’ new regulations surrounding technology, banning cellphones in schools is necessary. How can a teacher lecturing on Punnett squares, multiplication tables, or prepositions possibly compete with TikTok? Banks should ban cellphones from New York City schools, and hopefully other school districts will follow suit.