When Martin Cooper led Motorola to creating its first mobile phone in 1972, becoming commercially available in 1983, few could have anticipated that it would one day turn into the smartphones we know today. The evolution of the phone — from a bulky rectangle that could only call to a much smaller design that can text, call, play games, connect with billions of other people and access almost any piece of information in the world — over the past 50 years is incredible. Dr. Dennis Perry, the principal of Cherry Hill High School East, said that in his 25 years as a school administrator, the culture surrounding smart and mobile phones has greatly changed.
“Almost everyone has [a cell phone] now, and what they can do has greatly changed,” said Perry. However, while tech executives would see this statement as a positive, Perry does not. “If cell phones were not in classrooms more learning would take place… [and] students are manipulated by tech companies [to use their products].”
This begs the question, what place, if any, do cell phones have in classrooms?
Perry isn’t the only one who thinks cell phones can be distracting, especially in schools. Critics claim that cell phones have become too advanced and distracting, especially to younger generations like Generation Z (1995-2009) and the newer Generation Alpha (2010-2024). According to a 2018 Rutgers-New Brunswick study, college students who had no technology while a lesson was being taught received higher grades than those who did.
Arnold Glass, the lead researcher of this study said, “To help manage the use of devices in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the damaging effect of distractions on retention – not only on themselves, but for the whole class.” Besides academic considerations, cell phones have affected students socially as well.
“At the end of class, if you have a few minutes, everyone takes their phone out,” said Perry. He went on to say that instead of students talking to each other when a class ends, they take out their phones. Through this, social interactions that generations ago would have occurred, no longer are present. As student mental health continues to get worse, students on the whole are less social and cell phones could be part of the cause. This is without getting into the content of what students are looking at, which often is social media, which has also been shown to lead to negative mental health outcomes. Obviously there are other reasons besides phone use for the negative mental health teenagers of this generation experience, but they don’t help. The idea that cell phones in the classroom cause social and academic problems have led some to suggest that a ban of cellphones in school could be helpful.
“I would be more supportive of a ban, if it was a lock away method” said Perry. He also added that a phone being close to a person can be inherently distracting to them. Many places around the world,such as France, Italy, Finland and the Netherlands, agree and have all banned cellphones in schools. Investing in stations where students place phones at the beginning could alleviate the issues, but not without drawbacks.
The President of Cherry Hill Zone PTA, Kristen Viglietta, said “I don’t think it’s as simple as a blanket ban, I think it’s a complex issue that needs to be addressed”, but added that ““[cell phones] one of the bigger issues that [zone PTA] is looking at this year.”
Other critics of a cell phone ban stress that if students are banned from having cell phones in school, they won’t learn the self-control needed to be successful in the future because, since there won’t be bans in college or future employment, students will be at a disadvantage without this vital skill.
Cherry Hill East Vice President Dr. Francis Mauer said “You can’t be mad about the results of work you haven’t done yet” in regards to phone use. In other words, how can schools be upset about phone usage, if they haven’t taught their students the skill of self control in the age of technology?
Parents and school administrators might feel one way about this particular issue, but any action will only be as effective as students are willing to adhere to it. As a result, the student perspective is one of the more important ones.
“Social media isn’t great in school, but people have a right to their property. But some people are addicted to it,” said Asher Kreisman (‘24). Many students acknowledge the addiction many people have, but don’t necessarily want to give up their phones.
However some students, like Blaise St. Louis (‘25), say “Teachers are being too confrontational about phone usage, we should get a five minute break at the end [of class],” indicating the system should be loosened from what it is now — a system where teachers interact with phone usage on a case by case basis.
Schools have a responsibility to their students to prepare them for the future. Not having a phone could make emergencies more difficult to navigate, but having it in schools has its own consequences. However, even though it has consequences an outright ban might not be the right option. The best method would be one that prioritizes student wellbeing, but is practical.