When it comes to banning cell phones in schools, success could be determined by the details.
Do the bans only apply to classrooms, or also to hallways, bathrooms and cafeterias, where students are far more likely to be absorbed in TikTok or texting?
Do teachers have the freedom to circumvent the bans if phones are used as part of a lesson? Should school districts buy devices to lock or hide phones? What about distractions from other types of screens — laptops, tablets and smartwatches? And what about some parents who like the idea of being able to reach their children 24/7?
Those were just some of the questions California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced after announcing his state would be the latest — after Florida and Indiana — to seek a school cell phone ban.
Teachers who have tried to limit cell phone use with the aforementioned limits may be difficult to enforce, simply because phones have become so integrated into everyday life that they are considered necessary for practical and emotional reasons. However, some districts with a comprehensive policy have had success, overcoming resistance and seeing a change in student behavior.
Naomi Frierson, 44, a fifth-grade teacher in the Tampa, Fla., area, said little has changed for her since Gov. Ron DeSantis imposed a statewide ban on smartphone use in classrooms last year. He had already asked students to put the phones in a storage case hanging on the wall away from their desks.
But, she added, she understands that phones are a useful communication tool for students who walk home from school alone or who care for a younger sibling in the afternoons.
And as a parent herself, she said, she empathized with the stress of not being able to reach a child in an emergency or a worse-case scenario, like a school shooting.
Ms Frierson’s daughter Eliana, 17, had stronger feelings. She said it was an overreaction to ban smartphones for the day, noting that she often completed schoolwork using her phone.
“It’s an integral part of education,” said Iliana. “It’s wrong to take it away when it’s a tool that’s really useful.”
Smartphones are often a part of teaching, particularly in high school. They provide quick access to Google Translate in foreign language classes or an online graphing calculator in calculus. Many teenagers compose essays and other assignments on phones.
Some students point out that adults seem to rely on their cell phones as much as teenagers. Ana Sofía Tiberia-Lozano, 16, said she would prefer a policy that is consistent between students and teachers. “The older generations always think the new generation is more annoying,” he said.
Eric Schildge, an eighth-grade English teacher in Newburyport, Mass., said he often instructs kids to pull out their cellphones and text a parent when a pass or assignment is missing.
“This is really short-sighted for a governor to order something like this,” Mr. Schildge said. “That’s not the most functional way for me as an educator to do my job.”
He acknowledged that technology could cause problems in schools, but said the issue went far beyond cellphones. In one of his classes, students compulsively played Slope, a browser-based video game, on their school Chromebooks. He often directed them to shut down their computers. But over time she found that engaging, hands-on lessons are the best antidote to screen time, she said.
This year, his students created physical, bound book displays with decorative covers after reading either “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee or “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead.
“They really appreciated having something they could make and do with their hands.”
Mr. Newsom’s announcement is part of a wave of public concern about cell phone and social media use among teenagers. Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said social media platforms should carry warning labels similar to those on cigarette packets. In his best-selling book, The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that parents should delay giving their children access to smartphones and that schools should severely limit their use.
Sabine Polak, a Pennsylvania parent and founder of the Phone-Free Schools Movement, wrote in an email that Mr. Newsom’s statement was “great news,” but said she was looking for more details.
Cell phones should be banned everywhere on campus during the school day, he said, and students who break the rules should have their devices confiscated immediately.
He added that because teenagers often use phones secretly hidden in backpacks, the devices should be physically locked.
Some schools use a phone case called the Yondr, which is locked or unlocked by school staff but can be carried by students throughout the day.
Such devices are rented annually. At Bethlehem High School in Delmar, N.Y., outside Albany, the district spent $26,773 on 1,400 bags last school year.
The Superintendent Jody Monroe said she was thrilled with the results, noting that teachers no longer had to spend time in the classroom dealing with students over the phone and that the overall social climate in the building had improved.
“When phones were allowed, there was an eerie silence that I’m not sure we even noticed at the time,” she wrote in an email. “That’s gone now.”
A few dozen parents who initially complained about the policy have calmed down, he added, and some have even admitted they were wrong.
Patrick Franklin, a high school history teacher in Longview, Texas, in the eastern part of the state, tried to have his own personal ban, requiring students to store phones in another part of his classroom. But it stopped because of the separation anxiety it had triggered.
“I wish I lived in a world where they’re not there,” he said, referring to the phones. “But that’s not the reality I have to deal with. I can’t wish for a world where cell phones haven’t permeated every part of society.”
Liz Shulman, a high school English teacher in Evanston, Ill., outside Chicago, said she’s noticed in recent months that more parents are recognizing that teens need to spend time in the classroom without phones.
But because some parents still want constant communication, Ms. Shulman said she welcomes action by lawmakers like Mr. Newsom.
“It will force everyone — administrators, teachers and parents — to focus,” he said.
But there can be pushback. In the California Capitol, Diana Coatney had already planned to get her twins, Zoe and Luke, phones for their 12th birthdays in August, but then a bomb threat was called in at their high school.
“Boy, that definitely pushed the schedule forward,” Ms. Coatney said, adding that the phone is “a security blanket for me in a way, as well as a little bit of autonomy for them.”
