Camille Guerrettaz

Ivy/Shaw

PD 3

3/30/23

Students reported being happier in class without phones than those with phones.

Although students and parents think phones help students, they hurt rather than help. Adults can

use phones appropriately but kids who have not yet reached their maturity cannot be trusted to

use them appropriately in school. Schools should ban cell phones during the school day because

they are used inappropriately, are distracting, and have long-term effects on kids.

Inappropriate use of phones has been a problem for kids for a long time. In the article

“School’s say no to cell phones in class. But is it a smart move?” Alyson Klein the author says

“Sexting, cyberbullying, googling test answers. Taking a picture of a quiz and sending it to

friends who have the same class later in the day. Paying more attention to Instagram notifications

than biology class.” These are all forms of using phones inappropriately. If kids get bullied

online, they are more likely to avoid school and avoid doing any social activities, which can lead

to suicide. No parent wants that for their kid. Sending test answers to a friend or looking up the

answers are both forms of cheating. Cheating can result in class failure, suspension, or expulsion.

These are just some of the many reasons that cell phones are used inappropriately in school. Not

only can phones be used inappropriately in class they are also very distracting to kids and adults.

When a phone goes off in class it disturbs the whole class. Is this really ok? According to

the article “How young is too young for cellphones in school?” it says, “A phone would be more

of a distraction,” said Art Bennett, who has three children in school.” Unless there’s a

demonstrated need, I don’t see why there ought to be phones allowed in elementary school at

all.” Also, in the article “Schools say no to cellphones in class. But is it a smart move?”, an

assistant principal says, “During an emergency, students are best off making sure they
Camille Guerrettaz

Ivy/Shaw

PD 3

3/30/23

concentrate on following through with a safety plan, not staring at their phone screens.” He said.

This shows that phones distract kids and teachers because the whole point of school is to learn

and make friends not stare at your phone screen. Kids need the face-to-face contact you get in

school to be successful later in life. You also need to pay attention in a life-threatening situation,

not check your phone. Are parents ok with their child being in that situation just because of one

small device? All this evidence proves that phones in school are distracting, but not only are they

distracting, but they also have very bad long-term effects on kids.

Some may think that cell phones in school are good for kids but actually they have some

really bad long-term effects on kids too. As stated in the article “Should you let your kids have a

cell phone in school?” it says, “The rationale against cellphones in schools is that excessive

exposure to the devices will have a negative effect on school-aged kids- lowering grades,

promoting cyberbullying and even increasing the likelihood of teenage anxiety, depression and

suicide.” Even though phones are useful in school they impact kids’ mental and physical health.

Do parents really want their kids to be interacting with this kind of stuff? Parents want their child

to value themselves, to be self-reliant and independent, to take risks, and to be free of stress and

anxiety. With phones in school parents are just begging for their children to be mentally ill later

or now in life. All of this clearly shows that phones in school will result in long-term effects for

children.

People should not have the burden of having phones in school. Some may say that phones

need to be in school so that kids can contact their parents, however the office can call parents if

they need to. Altogether, cell phones do not belong in classes, they are too distracting for
Camille Guerrettaz

Ivy/Shaw

PD 3

3/30/23

students and teachers, are used inappropriately, can effect kids health, and kids do not need the

extra screen time. Schools need to ban cell phones today!