Phone-free spaces are effective but unnecessarily restrictive

At the start of every school day, students from San Mateo High School are required to place their phones into pouches designed by the company Yondr, which lock magnetically in designated phone-free areas for the entirety of the day. 

This policy came in response to studies citing that phones reduce attention and memory in schools, such as a joint study by the University of Alabama, University of Arkansas and University of Nebraska. Other schools across the country are also beginning to implement stricter policies to discourage students from relying on their smartphones — for instance, by requiring students to carry Yondr pouches.

The San Mateo’s administrators hoped this change would initiate a behavioral shift on campus, encouraging face-to-face communication among students and promoting emotional health. 

While this rule has received positive feedback from some teachers, parents and students, restricting phone use to this extent is an overreach on the part of the school’s leadership. Smartphones are an integral source of information both inside and outside of class and should be used as a tool to complement learning.

Instead of locking the phones up, administrators should allow students to use their phones for academic purposes, such as using the internet to look up information to complete an assignment or answer a question, or in situations when quick communication is needed. A better option is to restrict phone use during class time, but not during breaks, passing and lunch. 

In addition, phones can be used in classrooms to access online learning games like Kahoot! and digital platforms where students can share ideas. They can be used to quickly access the internet or to look up instructions for an assignment that is posted online.

Individual teachers should have the freedom to decide the phone policy in their classrooms. For instance, some teachers may require students to put their phones in pouches at the front of the classroom while others may request that students keep them inside backpacks unless they’re needed for a classroom activity. 

Instead of buying phone pouches, schools should use their funds to support programs necessary for students’ development San Mateo High School’s phone-free policy cost $20,000 for the year, but this money could have been used to supplement sports, music programs and clubs, which help students explore their interests and develop crucial life skills like responsibility, time management and teamwork.

The reaction of the school administrators is understandable, but they should discourage distractions from phones without overstepping boundaries and micromanaging students’ personal property. 

Their approach arguably generates resentment among students as it is easy for students to regard these policies as a breach of freedom. Besides that, it doesn’t solve the root of the problem: the addiction to technology. 

Instead of setting strict rules, parents and administrators should encourage responsible phone use by promoting in-person activities and by presenting ways for students balance their online lives with their real lives, such as by setting screen time limits or powering their phones off at certain times of the day. They should help students develop a healthier relationship with technology, where they see it as a tool rather than a source of constant entertainment.