Although there are some visible benefits to using mobile phones in schools, the harms far outweigh the benefits.
Tech companies have devised strategies to strangle the attention span of American children.
Confronted with the myriad harms caused by smartphones and social media, those in power from the local to the national level are taking aggressive steps to intervene, and their colleagues from the small rural school to Capitol Hill should take note, because this fight will require collective resistance to be won.
Des Moines Hoover High School is one of the latest schools to decide to completely ban cellphones in classrooms as part of a school mental health initiative.
Although there are some visible benefits to using mobile phones in schools, the harms far outweigh the benefits.
Social media encourages public bullying. Cell phones relentlessly disrupt class time. Brutal online interactions destroy self-confidence and well-being. Specifically, researchers found that 8th and 10th graders spend an average of more than three hours a day on social media. One study showed that college students experienced a significant increase in depression and anxiety after Facebook became available. The list of inflicted pain could go on for pages.
When students return to Hoover High School, northwest of Des Moines, next month, cellphones and headphones will be banned in classrooms. School officials expect the adjustment from an always-connected status quo will be difficult for some students in the first few weeks, but they say they’re confident the results will be worth it.
Restricting phone access is difficult to do locally
Hoover and other schools don’t operate in a vacuum. Part of the appeal of constant communication through social media and text messaging is the fear of missing out on what’s going on in those spaces. Just ask any parent who has fought alone to draw some kind of line on their kids’ internet devices. A “wait until 8th grade” pledge (not giving your kid a smartphone until at least 8th grade) is harder to follow through on if, as kids claim, it’s only your family that’s resisting.
School-level rules should provide Hoover students with a more level playing field when it comes to this class behavior issue during their seven-hour school day, but the rest of Des Moines Public Schools, and schools across central Iowa and the state, should follow suit as soon as feasible to promote student health and success and change social norms.
Compared with some of the challenges in education, the logistics here seem relatively simple: Many vendors sell secure phone lockers that are a one-time investment of less than $20 per student. It’s natural to be wary of “that’s how it was in my day” appeals, but the fact is that families have been able to contact their children at school in emergencies for decades before telephones were widespread.
We now know enough to take action and continue our best practice efforts.
Our always-online culture has spread so quickly that social research has not kept up to document all of the causes and consequences of social media and mental health harms, but we know enough now to take action.
This is essentially the message that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been pushing for the past few years, most recently in his call with Congress for warning labels explaining the potential consequences of social media use. Murthy’s staff has compiled some excellent research and advice for parents, educators, policymakers, and others.
“This is an area where governments need to step in, because we’ve been experimenting with leaving it to the platforms,” Mursi told Register reporters earlier this year. “It’s a 20-year experiment that has failed, and we’ve seen it come at the expense of the mental health and well-being of kids.”
Iowa lawmakers have proposed several more aggressive regulatory proposals, but some have stalled as tech companies have warned of unintended consequences for adult users’ experiences. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this fall about Texas’ age verification law and the First Amendment in a case involving porn sites. Finding the right balance between competing interests is sure to continue.
“Engineers and developers at social media companies have gotten very good at their jobs: making their products seem indispensable and encouraging hours of engagement. Parents, principals, teachers and lawmakers need to get very good at their jobs to keep their influence from drowning our kids.” Huber is helping to chart a path forward.
Lukas Grundmeyer on behalf of the Register editorial board
References: 6 Ways Schools Can Control Student Cell Phone Use
References: States want to ban cell phones in schools, which may be difficult.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Des Moines Register’s editorial board. Managing Editor Carol Hunter, Opinion Editor Lucas Grundmeyer, and Editorial Board Members Richard Doak and Rox Laird.
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