Phone Use in the Classroom
May 15, 2023
In high schools today, many teachers need help with students using their phones during
class. Whether it is students going on them to avoid doing school work or using them to cheat on
an assignment. There has been an evolution in the classrooms in America from using
chalkboards and textbooks to using a smartboard and computers. The change that America has
gone through has changed how students learn and their behaviors as more students use their
phones during class. This change has led to the debate on whether cell phones should be banned
in the classroom or used as an educational tool. Unfortunately, the existing studies prove that
allowing phones in the classroom negatively impact test scores and long-term learning retention.
From a research standpoint, studies and correlational research in psychology have proven
the effects of cell phone use in school. In Harvard’s article, “Weighing the Costs and Benefits of
Cellphones in Schools,” it states, “Research on multitasking generally finds negative effects on
learning and task completion and, more generally, research has shown that cell phones distract
and negatively impact reaction times, performance, enjoyment of focal tasks, and cognitive
capacity.” The National Education Association’s article “Cellphone Bans in School Are Back.
How Far Will They Go?” reveals that teachers who have started cell phone bans in their
classrooms believe a cell phone-free environment will lead to fewer incidents of cyberbullying,
improve attendance, and reduce time on social media (and associated mental health problems).”
These sources support the idea that cell phones negatively affect the classroom by creating
distractions and negative performance and that the banning of cell phones makes improvements
in the students learning and education.
Another point of view on the topic is that cell phones should be allowed to be in class.
The pushback from the cell phone bans sometimes comes from parents; A PBS article on
“Parent’s pushback on cellphone bans at school” explains how “parents and caregivers who had
constant access to their children during remote learning have been reluctant to give that up. Some
fear losing touch with their kids during a school shooting.” PBS goes on to say that the parents
feel they are being pushed away and deserve to have that first line of communication with their
children. However, this is not a valid argument as to why students should have cell phones in the
classroom because cell phones can be used to communicate with parents without distracting
learning. Students can keep their phones in a box or phone holder on the wall to keep away from
distractions but still be able to communicate if needed.
Troomi’s article on parenting and technology explains that cell phones can be used to use
learning materials, stating, “Resources like news stories, blog posts, and magazine articles are
valuable learning materials in the classroom. This is especially true in history and writing
courses, where studying various sources aids students’ understanding.” Although students can use
cell phones to access these educational websites, other school devices can be used instead; this
allows them to still use learning resources without having the temptation of going onto social
media.
Science and Literacy’s article “Why Should Students Be Allowed to Use Cell Phones in
Class?” reveals that using cell phones in class can help prepare students for the future as it
explains, “Our job as educators is to prepare our students for the future. We can all agree that
technology will play a huge role in the future. Allowing students to use their cell phones and
increase their technical proficiency can help prepare them for a future career.” Even though using
cell phones can help them gain knowledge on how to use technology and help them with future
technology, it is only sometimes helpful because if the technology distracts them from classwork,
that could hurt them in the future.
Works Cited
Walker, Tim “Cellphone Bans In School Are Back. How Far Will They Go?” NEA,
https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/cellphone-bans-school-are-bac
k-how-far-will-they-go
Josh Burgoyne. “20 Reasons Why Cell Phones Should Be Allowed in School.” Troomi Wireless,
24 Apr. 2023,
aking%20cell%20phones%20a%20classroom,use%20technology%20responsibly%20and
%20appropriately.
Johnes, Simona, et al. “Why Should Students Be Allowed to Use Cell Phones in Class?”, 31 Jan.
2023,scienceandliteracy.org/why-should-students-be-allowed-to-use-cell-phones-in-class/
“Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Cellphones in Schools.” Harvard Graduate School of
Education,www.gse.harvard.edu/news/22/08/weighing-costs-and-benefits-cellphones-sch
ools. Accessed 8 May 2023.
Press, Associated. “Parents Pushback on Cellphone Bans at School.” PBS, 4 Nov. 2022,
www.pbs.org/newshour/education/parents-pushback-on-cellphone-bans-at-school.