School districts have been debating whether to completely ban student cellphones, encourage teachers to integrate them into their instruction, or something in between for about a decade.
Outright bans seem to be gathering momentum, especially at the state level. And just this month, Los Angeles, the nation鈥檚 second-largest school district, announced that it will ban the use of student cellphones, beginning in January. In explaining the decision, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho argued that the devices distract students from their academics and that social media platforms hurt kids鈥� mental health.
Plenty of educators agree with him. In fact, nearly 1 of every 4 teachers support completely banning phones, according to a nationally representative survey conducted last fall by the EdWeek Research Center.
But what do educators at the International Society for Technology in Education鈥檚 annual conference here in Denver think? ISTE is one of the largest ed-tech conferences in the world. It鈥檚 hard to imagine a bigger concentration of ed-tech directors, coaches, and teachers who embrace digital tools.
Surely, the educators in this ed-tech epicenter wouldn鈥檛 favor banning a ubiquitous technology like cellphones. Right?
Not exactly. In fact, when two EdWeek reporters approached ISTE attendees to talk about school cellphone policies, we got a range of responses.
Here鈥檚 a sample of what we heard.
Why these educators support a cellphone ban
Take: Ban them. They鈥檙e a big distraction.
鈥淚 am for [bans]. I鈥檓 a parent, too, and I understand the safety concerns [of not having direct access to our kids at school], but we need to be able to trust the school. Cellphones are a distraction, and it鈥檚 too much to ask a child to pay attention when there鈥檚 a phone buzzing in their pocket or a smartwatch vibrating on their wrist.
鈥淭hey can鈥檛 help themselves. It鈥檚 human nature. Even as an adult, it鈥檚 hard for us to put our phones away and pay attention to a staff meeting.鈥�
鈥擱achel Lemansky, elementary library coordinator, Dudley-Charlton district, Mass.
Take: Ban them to keep students safe.
鈥淚鈥檓 in middle school and it affects everything I do. There are so many layers to [banning cellphones]. It鈥檚 a safety issue. As a school, there鈥檚 not much we can do to monitor what students do on their personal devices, but we need to be able to know what they鈥檙e doing because it鈥檚 part of our responsibility.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also an engagement issue. I need [students] to put the phones away so I can hopefully engage them in the lesson. We鈥檙e also a 1-to-1 district now so they don鈥檛 need their phones to access learning materials.鈥�
鈥擥erilyn Williams, middle school math teacher, Pinelands schools, N.J.
Take: Consider a ban, but don鈥檛 make teachers the enforcers.
鈥淚 am pro exploring [a ban]. We have enough data about social media and mental health issues. We鈥檙e stewards of kids鈥� well-being. If we鈥檙e not thinking about doing something [to help], it鈥檚 like, what are we doing?
鈥淚鈥檓 convinced that you can鈥檛 just put it on the teacher. Teachers are already burned out. We already have a shortage. And we鈥檙e asking them to have these great relationships with students. But if we maintain the status quo of, 鈥榠t鈥檚 the teachers鈥� decision,鈥� then we鈥檙e inserting a barrier [to relationship building] that doesn鈥檛 have to be there.鈥�
鈥擜 district technology administrator from Texas who preferred not to be named because the administrator鈥檚 views run counter to the district鈥檚 policy, which leaves decisions about cellphones up to individual teachers
Why these educators oppose cellphone bans
Take: Don鈥檛 ban them because students need to learn to use them.
鈥淎s educators in high school, we need to teach students how to use cellphones and when to use them responsibly. If you just ban them, what are we really accomplishing when they go out into the workforce? How do they know when it鈥檚 appropriate, where it鈥檚 appropriate, how it鈥檚 appropriate to use them? The teenage years are the years we figure things out.鈥�
鈥擟andice Breaux, the career and technical education supervisor, West Baton Rouge Parish 69传媒, La.
Take: Don鈥檛 ban them because teachers will devote too much time to enforcing that policy.
鈥淭eachers could spend a lot of energy and effort fighting [cellphones], but I don鈥檛 know how far they really would get. The kids, they have cellphones. They鈥檙e going to be using them. I personally feel like as educators, especially now, we need to be figuring out how do you help kids use them productively and to get the task done at hand?鈥�
鈥擫auren Tavarez, director of digital learning, Ector County Independent School District, Texas
Take: They鈥檙e problematic, but don鈥檛 take them away.
鈥淪ince the pandemic, I鈥檝e talked to a lot of teachers across the country. They鈥檙e seeing kids having issues trying to talk face-to-face or work in groups. They鈥檙e hiding behind their cellphones. It鈥檚 become a crutch. And for some of my kids, because they鈥檝e experienced a lot of trauma, they feel safe [with their phones].
鈥淵ou have to work quite a bit with them to realize, 鈥榦h, they鈥檙e not doing it to be rude.鈥� You really have to change your mindset that they鈥檙e doing it because they don鈥檛 feel safe. If I yelled at these kids [to put their phones away], they鈥檙e just going to get up and walk out.鈥�
鈥擪ristin Conley, teacher, Arapahoe Ridge High School, an alternative school in Colorado
The argument against all or nothing cellphone policies
Take: Limit them and teach mindfulness practices to keep kids off their phones.
鈥淚 do see how it can seem like all or nothing. But we really do need to have a blend. [69传媒 need to understand] if you feel like you鈥檙e getting addicted to it, you鈥檙e maybe looking at your cellphone at inappropriate times, you can use mindful strategies and give [yourself] permission to put it down to the side.
"[Teachers can help by having] 鈥榗ellphone away time,鈥� and then maybe the last 10 minutes of class, have it accessible. I鈥檓 never good with all or nothing. I always feel like there has to be a balance.鈥�
鈥擪ara Fahy, STEAM and project-based learning coach, Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary, Va.
And the official ISTE take鈥�
Take: Don鈥檛 ban them. Teach students to use them.
鈥淚n general, banning tools that students are going to need to use in their future life is not a good idea. I do understand that if you have a school or district that has not been able to get ahead of creating a healthy culture for device use, you may need to just take a pause and reset some things to help reinforce some good, healthy habits. And so that may be a choice that some schools are taking.
鈥淚 do want to make sure it鈥檚 clear that in some way, shape, or form, we have to help young people learn how to use these tools in effective ways, if you want them to be successful in the future.鈥�
鈥擱ichard Culatta, ISTE鈥檚 CEO
Explore our coverage around students鈥� use of cellphones in schools:
> Guide to setting a policy: Here鈥檚 a decisionmaking tool for educators to map out the different potential outcomes when putting cellphone policies in play.
> Cellphone bans and restrictions: See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools in our tracker. Explore our tracker.
> Nuisance or teaching tool? How teachers are turning an ubiquitous and growing class nuisance鈥攖he smartphone鈥攊nto a tool for learning.
> Cellphone policies, explained: Education Week breaks down the different ways schools are addressing cellphone use, and the factors to weigh before adopting or changing the rules. Check out our explainer.
> Tips from teens & teachers: Teenagers offer 6 tips on how schools should manage students鈥� cellphone use, and educators share their tips on policing cellphone use in classrooms.
> Then & now: How the 鈥渟exting鈥� panic previewed today鈥檚 debate about kids鈥� cellphone use.
