Advantages and Disadvantages of Banning Cellphones in Educational Institutions

Students bringing in mobile devices like cellphones and tablets are on the rise in
recent years. Most educational institutions ban cellphone usage inside their
campus. Certain schools and colleges permit the usage of cellphones with
restrictions. Most parents allow students to take up mobile phones to their
schools even if it is banned in schools. Most parents are also concerned about the
use of cellphones during class hours.

The following are some of the Pros of students taking Cellphones to Schools:

❖ The parents can access the students in case of emergency

❖ In the event of power failure and lock down condition cellphones can be used easily.
❖ Information can be accessed through internet during leisure hours at school and during
traveling
❖ Online learning applications helps students to study at any time and from anywhere
❖ Security of students who drive to college or travel in public transport find cellphones
useful
❖ Information can be shared among students with teachers and parents immediately

The following are some of the Cons of students bringing cell phones to educational institutes:

➢ Students easily gets distracted through social media

➢ Some students easily get addicted to texting which creates behavioral problems

➢ Unwanted communication and false communications without actual occurrence of

event

➢ Cyberbullying and other problems faced by teenagers during college gets increased
through cellphone communication
In addition to these, too much screen time and regular exposure to low-quality content can have many
adverse effects such as:

♦ Obesity
♦ Inadequate sleep schedules and insufficient sleep
♦ Behavior problems
♦ Delays in language and social skills development
♦ Violence
♦ Attention problems

Taking cellphones completely away from students may not be good as most of the peers have access to
it. Having better control over the usage of cellphones is required by the educational institutions and
parents in order to have a better advantage for students.