School Cellphone Ban Backed by ‘Fed Up’ Parents and Teachers

“Fed up” teachers and parents who want schools to ban cellphones might get their wish as the Pennsylvania State House considers Senate Bill 1014, which would make schools phone-free statewide. As support for such measures grows across the US, amendments to the PA bill threaten to make the proposed cellphone ban more of a guideline than an actual rule.

PA’s Proposed School Cellphone Ban

Republican State Sen. Devlin Robinson of Allegheny County, the legislation’s prime sponsor, said teachers and parents have told him that they are “fed up” with cellphones causing distractions in school – and they aren’t alone. According to the most recent available data from Pew Research Center, a whopping 74% of American adults support banning cellphones from middle and high school classrooms. Only 19% oppose classroom cellphone bans, and another 7% reported they are unsure. 

Despite overwhelming support for classroom cellphone bans, amendments to Senate Bill 1014 would create exceptions, like allowing students to use their cellphones if they have family members who are ill. Robinson said he’s “not thrilled” with the changes, but students would certainly be in favor of more relaxed standards. Just 41% of youths between the ages of 13 and 17 support banning cellphones in class, according to a Pew Research Center survey, and only one-in-five teens “support banning cellphones during the entire school day, including at lunch and between classes,” the poll found. “Another 73% oppose this.”

The Dangers of Digital Devices in Classrooms

Of course, many teens would also choose potato chips over broccoli and pop over water, which is exactly why they shouldn’t be calling the shots. State Sens. Robinson, Vincent Hughes, and Steve Santarsiero explained in a joint statement that “[e]xcessive screen time and constant notifications are contributing to increased anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying, while also taking away from valuable in-person interaction and learning.”

Studies have shown that cellphone bans may improve academic performance, and while the evidence on the mental health benefits is mixed, schools “have reported fewer behavioral problems, reduced bullying, and improved classroom engagement,” according to the Paragon Health Institute, a DC-based health policy think tank. 

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University also found that adolescents who own smartphones are more likely to develop depression, obesity, and poor sleep than their phone-free counterparts.

“The impact of these addictive devices in schools cannot be ignored,” state Sens. Robinson, Hughes, and Santarsiero warned in a joint memo. “Academic achievement declined over this same period as the use of smartphones rose. In 2012, math and reading scores dropped for the first time in 25 years, beginning a downward trend that continues today.”

The three lawmakers also made an astute observation: “We know phones are not only a distraction for the owner of the phone, but the entire class is disrupted by the constant ringing, buzzing, and checking of these devices.” Teens already say they struggle to concentrate, and research shows the average human attention span continues to decrease - imagine throwing near-constant notifications from every direction into the mix.

Teens may not like the thought of schools banning cellphones, but a surprising 52% are worried about their own excessive usage and have reported “taking steps” to cut back, according to Pew Research Center. If State Senate Bill 1014 becomes law, Pennsylvania students will have one less thing to worry about and one less step to take.