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The internet era has cut time frames for tasks, yet raised our expectations, shortening tempers and tolerance.
It has increased and diversified communication, yet people have a harder time connecting.
The blessings, curse and contradictions of carrying a smartphone are known to most of us. According to mobile user statistics, as of July 2023, the number of smartphone users in the world is 6.92 billion, or 86% of the world’s population. Given that the 14% remainder includes flip phones and infants (25% of the world’s population is under the age of 14), that’s an impressive statistic. In other words, even though someone may not have their basic needs met - like housing, food or healthcare - chances are, they’ll have a smartphone.
In U.S. schools, smartphones are ubiquitous, starting on elementary school playgrounds. The students who don’t have them huddle around students that do. As far as academic performance, existing research shows allowing phones in the classroom “negatively impacts test scores and long-term learning retention,” with correlational studies finding ties to lowered achievement, task completion, learning enjoyment of focal tasks and cognitive capacity,” according to Harvard researcher Dylan Lukes. It also adds cyberbullying to the schoolyard mix, alongside normal bullying, with about 1 in 4 students being bullied online.
Still, the conundrum of cellphones in schools isn’t a simple one. Kids, after all, are just younger humans. And older, supposedly wiser humans also struggle plenty with regulating their own cellphone use.
Lukes, in his research, found that while school cellphone bans increased performance and learning, it soured attitudes about school culture.
So we encourage parents, as well as students and teachers, to weigh in on “away for the day,” as that survey link closes at 5 p.m. today.
It seems like a good idea to us, but one that should be done thoughtfully as cellphones have become a fixture in our lives and aren’t going away anytime soon.
Even though technology has given us the ability to move at lightning speed, we recommend taking it slow with this issue. We like the thoughts of one commenter who pointed out that time apart from cellphones is less about what we’re missing, than what we’re returning to the students, teachers and school -- a connected and engaged educational experience.
-- Traverse City Record-Eagle