by In the school after the school, the story is the same: The students have smartphones distracting them from learning and eroding mental health and personal social connection. This places an untenable burden on teachers and administrators who police their use according to their schools’ policies. To address this in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I introduced resolution to ban student cell phones during the school day. I believe this policy is necessary to create healthier learning environments for our children.
The research supports what I saw during 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 the 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 encourage lower rates of meaningful in-person interaction and less beneficial social-emotional development.
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The academic toll is just as stark. UNESCO report from 2023 they set out clear indications of the negative effects of cell phones on education around the world, citing increased distractions in the classroom and reduced academic performance.
As studies prove the harm of smartphones and social media, there are initiatives to limit student phone use in schools get steam across the country — and around the world. A handful of states, incl Indiana and Florida, and even more schools and districts have implemented bans on smartphones in schools. And California at least one of it half a dozen states which have pending legislation.
The new regulations seem to be working. some studies at you shown that restricting phone use in the classroom increases academic performance, with test score gains similar to gains when an hour is added to the school week. A study of schools in Spain the smartphone bans imposed showed an increase in test scores and a significant decrease in cyberbullying. Researchers found physical benefits toobecause the limitation of the phone during rest means spending more time being active.
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School principals in LAUSD who have implemented phone-free school day policies report fewer fights, higher student engagement and an overall more positive campus environment. But current district policy had not been updated since 2011, so they had to take it upon themselves to apply stricter rules. If the new policy is approved, principals will only guide the district.
Banning smartphones in LAUSD schools would have challenges, especially with enforcement. But these are obstacles that cannot be overcome. Many schools magnetically sealed cell phone pouches dispense for students. Lock and unlock the pouches with a specialized magnet, which is placed near the entrances to the school. Students tap their pouch to lock it when they arrive at school and then tap it again to unlock it when they leave. Another option is to collect devices in a mobile phone locker in the morning; students can retrieve them at the end of the day or in an emergency.
Some schools rely on trust and an honor code – kids can keep their phones but they promise they won’t be on or off during the day. However, according to Haidt, without removing the devices from the equation, teachers and staff will eventually have to enforce the bans with their already full workloads. Even the most vigilant teachers can’t prevent constant scrolling. And it takes more time for teachers and administrators to do one-on-one enforcement than it does to confiscate phones and then return them at the beginning and end of the school day.
A common concern about locking smartphones is that students will not be able to call for help in an emergency. Some public safety experts say that it is safer for children not to have their phones in emergency situations. In the case of an active shooter, for example, too many students may call 911 switchboard overload, and noise or vibration from a phone may reveal the student’s location. School officials, not students, must be making emergency plans and communicating with teachers, students, parents and law enforcement.
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 laptops and tablets provided by the district. By removing personal smartphones and social media from the school day, we help keep children focused on 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 also need to implement a district-wide protocol that addresses the negative impact of smartphones and social media on children. By going phone-free, LAUSD can help restore learning environments that foster focus, social connectedness and healthy development. Our children deserve no less.
There is Nick Melvoin a member of the Los Angeles Board of Education. @NickMelvoin
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
