Mobile phone use in schools

A phone cage used for keeping students' phones away from them during school hours

The use of mobile phones in schools has become a very controversial topic debated by students, parents, teachers and authorities.

People who support the use of mobile phones believe that these phones are useful for safety, allowing children to communicate with their parents and guardians, and teaching children how to deal with new media properly as early as possible. In addition, people suggest that schools should adapt to the current technological landscape where mobile phones allow access to vast amounts of information, rendering the need to memorize facts obsolete, allowing schools to shift their focus from imparting knowledge to emphasizing critical thinking skills and fostering the development of essential personal qualities.

Opponents of students using mobile phones during school believe that mobile phones are the main source of declining mental health among adolescents, hampering social development and enabling cyber bullies.

Different countries across the world have had to respond to the increasing presence of mobile devices in schools and weigh the potential harms and benefits all while maintaining their privacy laws. To prevent distractions caused by mobile phones, many schools have implemented policies that restrict students from using their phones during school hours. The company Yondr, for example, pioneered the concept of phone-free schools with a lockable pouch product that students place their phones in at the start of each school day, allowing them to experience the focus, creativity, and relief that comes from a phone-free learning environment. Some administrators have attempted cell phone jamming to monitor and restrict phone usage, with the goal of reducing distractions and preventing unproductive use. However, these methods of regulation raise concerns about privacy violation and abuse of power, as well as being illegal in certain jurisdictions.

Studies

Pros

An increase in access to technological devices could develop workplace skills such as rapid searching, browsing, assessing quality, and synthesizing large quantities of information. In addition to helping develop 21st century skills, mobile phones may provide access to a wide variety of mobile apps useful to both teachers and students in the classroom.

Surveys from leading tech experts suggest that there will be both positives and negatives associated with allowing mobile phones in the classroom. Specifically 55% of those surveyed agree that there will be learning behavior changes that generally produce positive outcomes such as improved problem solving abilities. While potential issues such as the need for instant gratification were acknowledged, many were optimistic that the negatives could be overcome. Classrooms adapting to the changes in technology was identified as one of the key steps in avoiding negative consequences in the classroom. One researcher at Fast Future, David Saer, stated that the desire for instantaneous content can be seen as a new perspective on timetables rather than a lack of patience.

In 2017, Dr. James Derounian conducted a study involving a hundred participants at the University of Gloucestershire. His study revealed that 45% of students believe that the use of phones in classrooms supports their education. One of the most commonly mentioned ways that phones provided such academic support was digital access to textbooks. The ability to access scholarly material on mobile devices allowed students to engage more deeply with the information presented. Still, Derounian mentioned that there could be "an element of social desirability conveyed in the student views given."

Cons

A 2015 study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior demonstrated that among undergraduate students total usage of mobile phones, measured in number of minutes per day and not limited to school time, was "a significant and negative predictor of college students' academic performance, objectively measured as cumulative GPA." Moreover, the abundant use of mobile technology among young people largely explains the inadequate use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in both personal and school environments. Consequently, actions have been taken that contribute to more responsible use of this type of technology in students' personal, school, and social lives.

In 2015, Dakota Lawson and Bruce B. Henderson performed a study to examine the relationship between mobile phone use in class and information comprehension. The study involved 120 students from an introductory psychology course, mostly first-year students. The result showed that students who were texting in the class had significantly lower test scores even when the material that was presented was simple: mobile phone use in class impairs students' comprehension and performance. This study was performed after several similar studies in the past and corroborated their results.

Furthermore, researchers Julia Irwin and Natasha Gupta of Macquarie University performed an experiment in 2016 testing the effect of Facebook-related distractions in the classroom. The researchers found that students who were interested in the subject material and the way it was presented were less likely to be distracted by Facebook. However, the students with access to phones still performed poorer than students that were not allowed access to cell phones during the lecture.

A 2017 collective study, published by Applied Cognitive Psychology, indicated that college students retained less knowledge when allowed to use or possess a cell phone during lectures. During the experiment, students who were not allowed access to a cell phone tested better than those who had access to cell phones.

It is argued that, in the classroom, phones can be a constant disruption and may be used inappropriately, such as by cheating on tests, taking inappropriate photographs, and playing mobile games. Phones would also be a distraction, taking away attention that should be going to the teacher. In 2023, the United States surgeon general issued an advisory warning that social media can carry a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

Research taken from the National College Health Assessment shows that almost twice as many undergraduate students were diagnosed with anxiety and depression between 2008 and 2018. In his book, The Anxious Generation, Social Psychologist Dr. Jonathan Haidt proposes that a combination of overprotective parents and increased cell phone use are both causes for the increase in mental illness, especially amongst younger generations. His work details how young students are not being properly prepared for the social and emotional dangers of social media and how these relationships are not as fulfilling as real world encounters.

An article by Emma Henderson, a journalist for the United Kingdom (UK) publication The Independent, describes phantom vibrations caused by "learned bodily behavior," where the part of the body to which the phone is closest becomes very sensitive. As a result, even the slightest vibrations can cause a person to believe that the phone has vibrated when, in reality, it has not. These are known as phantom vibrations. Nine out of ten people claimed to have felt these phantom vibrations in their pockets, raising serious concerns about the overuse of cell phones and the resulting dependency that people develop. Therefore, breaking the habit of frequently checking one's phone can not only be beneficial for students but also convey more respect towards the professors and teachers whose lectures are constantly interrupted by cellular distractions.

Regulations by country

Australia

In Australian schools, mobile phones are advised to be used only in case of calls to parents or guardians and that only if the parent or guardian allows the phone to be used to during school activities such as school excursions, camps and extra-curricular activities at school.

Mobile phones with cameras are restricted within school premises while entirely banned within certain sections such as changing rooms, bathrooms, gyms and swimming pools. They are only allowed to film or take photographs of people only with their signed permission or, if the person is under eighteen, to have a parent or guardian to give a sign permission note allowing for these actions. If a student is found with a mobile phone or devices within these areas, they will be confiscated; and, depending on the situation, charges or consequences will be given.

Mobile phones are not allowed to be used for sending harassing or threatening messages. If a student does commit such an act, higher authorities will become involved, including the police since this being a violation of privacy and harassment. Due to bullying, privacy and harassment issues being a major issue in Australia, if a student or teacher does break this law, it may leave them with a criminal record, leaving them at a disadvantage in the future.

Mobile phones are discouraged in terms of their use within the classroom unless they can be appropriately incorporated into the learning environment. Former Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, stated in an ABC news article that the policy was intended to "ensure mobile phones and other smart devices complement students' learning".

Australian educational institutes have been divided on whether phones should be completely banned in classrooms or only allowed for certain amounts of time during school hours. Since 2019, the New South Wales government has banned phones completely from its primary schools. In a public statement justifying the policy, Berejiklian declared that the ban would encourage children to avoid using technology that could "upset them or make them feel uncomfortable". From 2020 onwards, the Victorian Department of Education has similarly barred the use of mobile phones in all public schools, both primary and secondary.

The reason for banning phones is to stop bullying both online and physically and to remove distractions from the classrooms. "Mobile phones, unfortunately, are not only distracting but also causing stress for young children—and we can't have that continue," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told Seven's Sunrise. This will be implemented by removing students’ access to phones during the day unless a parent or guardian requests that the student needs to use it. The teacher will always have the phone kept with him somewhere where the student is still able to access it before and after school.

High school restrictions

While mobile phones are already banned in classrooms without teacher permission and banned in primary schools nationwide, mobile phone bans or restrictions in high schools (secondary schools) during lunch and recess breaks and during free time have become a highly controversial issue and laws vary in each state and territory, as well as by school. While proponents of bans and restrictions suggest that it could decrease distractions and cyberbullying (particularly with social media usage) and increase students' academic abilities and social skills, there is no evidence that phone bans decrease cyberbullying or increase listening in class. Phone bans in high schools are generally more likely to be supported by the centre-left Labor Party governments, while the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition is normally opposed to them, and the Coalition is strongly opposed to them in New South Wales.

Phones are currently banned or restricted in public and state primary and secondary schools in every jurisdiction except for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Queensland. However, while Queensland plans to introduce a blanket ban in 2024; the ACT has no formal plans to introduce a blanket ban.

In New South Wales, the issue of phone bans has been perhaps more controversial than in any other state or territory. The New South Wales Coalition (currently in Opposition) is strongly opposed to a blanket, and during the 12 years of Coalition government in New South Wales, the state government repeatedly refused to enforce a blanket ban in high schools (though the state government did introduce a blanket ban in primary schools in 2018). During the 2023 New South Wales state election campaign, the Coalition again refused to enforce a blanket ban on mobile phones in public high schools, instead allowing schools to individually decide, while the Labor Party promised a blanket phone ban in public high schools if elected. Then-Premier Dominic Perrottet and his Cabinet were vocally opposed to a blanket ban on mobile phones in public high schools, with then-Education Minister Sarah Mitchell being perhaps one of the biggest critics of such a ban. The Labor Party won a minority government at the election, and newly-elected Premier Chris Minns and his Cabinet reiterated that a blanket ban on mobile phones in public high schools began at the beginning of Term 4 in 2023, despite a large amount of controversy.

In 2020, Victoria became the first state to enforce a blanket ban, and South Australia and Tasmania soon followed. In New South Wales, a blanket ban will come into place in Term 4 of 2023 while in Queensland a ban will come into place in Term 1 of 2024. In Western Australia and the Northern Territory, rules intended to stop students from using their mobile phones at public high schools are in place, but they involve less restrictive measures than other states and territories, as phones only need to be off and not accessed during the day, though this policy is unclear as it does not specifically outline restrictions for usage on school excursions or other non-classroom activities such as recess and lunch breaks or during drink breaks in extracurricular sport activities, for example.

Canada

Many provinces in the country have enacted some form of use of mobile devices during school hours.

In Alberta, a cell-phone ban took effect in September 2024.

In Ontario, a cell-phone ban was enacted for the 2024-2025 school year.

China

Ever since November 2018, all primary and secondary schools in China's Shandong province have banned the use of mobile phones in classrooms. In February 2021, China announced that children would be banned from using mobile phones in schools unless they have written parental consent.

France

Mobile phones have been prohibited for students from 3 to 15 years of age, since September 2018. In December 2017, the French minister of education Jean-Michel Blanquer issued a directive banning the use of smartphones in schools by children up to the age of 15.

Greece

It is completely allowed by law to use mobile phones by students in school as long as their work is done first. This includes calls, texting, or any kind of camera use. Students must switch off their mobile phones or set to silent mode and keep them in their bags until their work is done and then they can use them when they please.

However, after UNESCO's recommendation to ban the use of mobile devices in educational institutions, regulations governing Greek elementary and middle schools have been strengthened. As a result, students are now prohibited from bringing mobile phones onto campus.

Malaysia

For schools under the Malaysian Ministry of Education, it is a disciplinary offence for students to bring their phones to school as well as to the dormitories of boarding schools. Students are expected to use the school's public phones or borrow a teacher's mobile phone in the case of an emergency. Phones brought to school will be confiscated and the parents of the students who brought the phones will be notified to retrieve the phones. If the student is a first-time offender, a warning will be issued. The student and their parents will also have to sign a letter of undertaking (Malay: surat aku janji, lit. 'I promise letter') in which the student promises not to bring their phone to school again. If the student is a repeating offender, they will be restricted from using school or dormitory facilities or will be excluded from school programs or activities.

Netherlands

In December 2023, Dutch education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf imposed a ban on mobile phones, iPads and smart devices at secondary schools, which came into effect in January 2024.

New Zealand

In late November 2023, the newly-formed Sixth National Government confirmed that it would ban cellphone use in schools as part of its 100-day plan. The governing National Party said that banning cellphone use during school hours would help improve students' academic performance and outcomes. They also cited citing schools and parents' concern that cellphone use was affecting students' health and social interaction.

The Government's cellphone ban came into effect on 30 April 2024, the first day of the second term of the 2024 school year. Secondary Principals' Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) president and Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillau confirmed that several schools had voluntarily instituted local cellphone bans during the first term to prepare students for the official nation-wide ban. In addition to classtime, the ban extends to school breaks with the purpose of encouraging socialisation among children and young people. Special exceptions from the cellphone ban include health reasons (eg. monitoring a student's insulin levels), helping students with disabilities or learning support needs (eg. impaired communications), a teacher requiring them for special educational tasks and purposes (eg. class assignments) and a principal deciding that they are needed for personal circumstances (eg. the student is a teenage parent).

Turkmenistan

Since 2020, all secondary schools in Turkmenistan have banned the use of mobile phones during lessons in order to increase the productivity of the educational process. The ban applies not only to school children, but also to teachers: now, during the lessons, they must put their phones on silent mode. Pupils can only use phones outside the school.

United Kingdom

In the UK, a survey showed that there were no mobile phone bans in schools in 2001 but by 2007, 50% of schools had banned mobile phones during the school day. This number increased to 98% by 2012. These bans were implemented by either forbidding students from bringing phones onto school premises or by making students hand their phones in at the beginning of the day. According to a study by the London School of Economics, students' academic performance improved when policies were implemented to ban cell phone usage in schools. This ban not only helped students score higher on exams but also reduced the students' temptation to use cell phones for non-scholarly purposes.

Secondary schools are introducing new, strict laws on mobile phones where students under sixteen years of age will have to put their phones away for the entire day after scientific evidence has demonstrated that students become more sociable, alert and active in the school environment without them. Students place their phones inside a registered locker when they arrive at school and are only allowed to retrieve them once school has finished. With this happening, schools have found a positive impact on the students: more students are active outside, along with greater numbers attending clubs and social events. Nick Gibb told The Times, "I believe very strongly that children should be limiting their own [phone] use at home. Every hour spent online and on a smartphone is an hour less talking to family, and it's an hour less exercise and it's an hour less sleep. And of course, it is a lack of sleep that research is showing can have a damaging effect on a child's mental health."

The schools did note that the positive impact was greater for students under the age of eleven rather than in older students. In fact, it was shown that older students actually suffered from a restricted use of learning platforms on their phones such as educational apps assisting in studying or learning skills. Students that were caught with their mobile phones between the school time period were given punishments such as detention, expulsion or warnings. In doing so, children have been taught to limit the amount of time they spend online and focus more on their school lives along with other social activities. Nevertheless, people in England have argued against this. Patsy Kane has stated, "There's a fantastic range of apps now for revision—and the students are really motivated to use them."

United States

In the past, some United States schools installed mobile phone jammers to prevent cell phones from working on campuses. However, the sale and use of jammers is illegal in the US under the Federal Communications Act of 1934, because jammers cut off 9-1-1 calls and disrupt air navigation if they are used near airports. In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) became stricter in enforcing the ban on jammers. Mt. Spokane High School in Washington state once installed a jammer to prevent students from calling and text-messaging but removed the device after it decided that it was "probably not legal" under federal law. In 2015, a Florida science teacher received a five-day unpaid suspension for installing a jammer in his classroom.

In 2005, the New York City Department of Education imposed a citywide ban on mobile phones in public schools. However, according to The New York Times, the ban was "inconsistently enforced, with some schools allowing students to carry phones as long as staff members [did] not hear or see them, and other schools—particularly those with metal detectors at the doors—maintaining a strict ban." The ban was unpopular among parents as well because it impeded communication between them and their children. In March 2015, the citywide ban was lifted, with Mayor Bill de Blasio fulfilling a campaign promise. Under the new policy, school principals in consultation with teachers and parents may set rules on use and storage of mobile phones during instructional time and lunch breaks. While the default rule is that phones must remain hidden, principals may also elect to "require students to store phones in backpacks or other designated places, allow the use of phones during lunch, or allow phones to be used for instructional purposes." De Blasio said that the policy shift would allow parents to stay in better touch with their children, especially in case of an emergency. The New York City Schools Chancellor, Carmen Fariña, supported this policy by noting that the change means that students in schools with metal detectors would no longer have to pay outside vendors to store phones for them during the school day.

When asked which type of phone-restriction policy they prefer, students tended to support the side that grants them the opportunity to bring mobile phones onto the school campus, arguing that phones allow them to reach their parents if any problem occurs. In response to the issue of parent-student communication, parents also argue that there is not a replacement for mobile phones and therefore that phones are an essential device for students to have accessible, raising concerns about a child in danger or not feeling safe not being able to contact a parent and receive assistance. Parents also believe that giving a child a phone teaches responsibility. A boarding school in Massachusetts banned the use of smart phones, but not digital cameras and laptops, and handed out light phones for basic call and texting.

Theft of mobile phones is another concern in some schools. In 2012, following an undercover investigation, thirteen juvenile students in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, were arrested and charged with running a cell-phone-theft ring that resulted in the theft of several thousand dollars worth of mobile phones, tablets, and other electronics.

An increasing number of schools are now allowing the use of cell phones as learning tools. However, the collective use of cell phones in schools poses other technological challenges. Some schools reported that allowing all students to use cell phones at the same time slows down school bandwidth speeds, and hence some schools have blocked phones from accessing the school Wi-Fi.

Phone use in schools is not just an issue for students and teachers but also for other employees of educational institutions. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, while no state bans all mobile phone use for all drivers, twenty states and the District of Columbia prohibit school bus drivers from using mobile phones. School bus drivers have been fired or suspended for using their phones or text-messaging while driving.

In Utah, a bill proposed to ban the use of mobile phones in classrooms, but the bill did not pass.

California passed a bill in September 2024 that requires schools, by 2026, to adopt a policy limiting or banning the use of mobile phones inside of California schools.

In May 2024, Ohio enacted a bill that would limit cell-phone use in schools, but stops short of enforcing an outright ban.

Mobile phone applications for the classroom

Cellphone applications have been created to support the use of phones in school environments. As of February 2018, about 80,000 applications are available for teacher use. A variety of messaging apps provide communication for student-to-student relationships as well as teacher-to-student communication. Some popular apps for both students, teachers, and parents are Remind and ClassDojo. About 72% of top-selling education apps on iOS are for preschoolers and elementary school students. Additionally, there are a wide variety of ways middle and high school students can use mobile phones such as sharing documents, taking pictures, and having easier access to information.

A specific app that teachers can use is called Moodle which is an online course management system that can make content more accessible to students. These apps offer many different services such as language translation, scheduled reminders and messages to parents.

The app Remind is another way for teachers to communicate with parents and school administration. This app not only allows teachers to send out scheduled text messages to parents but also provides a class blog for teachers to share upcoming due dates, tests and quizzes, and other class information.

Another app that allows students to communicate with one another is GroupMe. GroupMe allows students to communicate in a group-chat format through Wi-Fi instead of using cellular data. Even some college-aged students use this app for sharing course information.

Mentimeter is a tool that allows teachers to develop interactive slides which promote engagement from students. While it is not the only tool that performs this function, a study conducted in 2022 showed that it is more digitally accessible than several of its counterparts. The blind participants of this study used several digital tools such as Kahoot in conjunction with various screen readers to identify any issues the tools had; issues were then categorized from minor to severe in terms of usability. In addition to Mentimeter being identified as one of the most digitally accessible, Kahoot and Poll Everywhere were labeled as mostly accessible with some exceptions for specific features.

See also

• Mobile learning
• Social media in education

External links

• Cell Phones in American High Schools: A National Survey, Journal of Technology Studies
• Huang, G. (2013). Research Issues and Applications of Mobile and Ubiquitous Learning