Many schools are banning phones in an attempt to benefit students and help their grades. But, will this truly have positive long term effects for them in the long run? 

The answer is no.

     Many schools have been trying new methods to keep students from using their phones. “Schools across the United States are increasingly adopting a no-phone policy, requiring students to lock away their devices for the entire school day,” writes CBS News.

     Also, according to District Administration, “Administrators at Orange County Schools, which is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, intend to expand the district’s cellphone ban from during class time to recess and lunch.” But, this won’t be a policy at their future jobs. 

     Although this may help them get better grades and focus in class, this prevents them from learning how to control themselves from using their phones.

     The truth is, phones are going to be with students the rest of their lives. When students graduate college, go out into the real world, and get a job, their phones aren’t going to be taken away to make sure their work is getting done. Instead, if people use their phones at a job and can’t separate themselves from their phones to get their work done, they will get fired. So, while in school, this is the time for students to learn how to control how much they use their phones.

     “According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2020, cellphone bans were in place in 76% of U.S. schools,” says The National Education Association. This means that students in 76% of schools across the United States aren’t learning how to control when they should use their phones and when they shouldn’t. 

     If teens don’t learn this now, then when will they learn how to work while having a phone around them? They certainly won’t be able to figure this out easily while they are working a job. Not knowing this valuable skill could certainly be detrimental in the future.