Last winter, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that starting with the 2025-2026 school year, phones would be banned “bell to bell” in public schools across New York State. This means students would not be allowed to use their phones during school hours, including during classes, lunch, and study halls.
Reports vary, but many claim that average screen time for teenagers is between seven to nine hours a day. The Pew Research Center states that of the 97% of teens that have a social media account, their average daily use was around four hours a day. It’s undeniable that teenagers spend a lot of time on their phones. So do they agree that a phone ban was necessary in public schools?
Some students are concerned that not having phones could be a safety issue.
“In terms of an emergency of the school variety, if there’s an emergency, it could cause serious problems,” said Senior Leila Miller. However, she contends that “outside of that, it’s probably for the best.”
However, many teachers and administrators say that the problem of students using their phones in the classroom has become totally out of hand.
Teens have been given the chance to use their phones responsibly, and almost every teen can agree that at least a good amount of kids fail miserably.
“It’s not really that different because a lot of teachers in the past wouldn’t let you use your phone in class anyway,” commented Senior Will Male. “It’s literally the same.”
However, Male understands that as a senior, he has the ability to leave during free periods and use his phone.
“I think it would be a little more annoying if I wasn’t a senior,” he confessed.
After a few weeks of the phone ban, teachers and students are starting to become accustomed to the ban. Students rarely risk taking their phones out in class, and the catastrophes that some teachers had prophesied didn’t come to fruition.
“It’s gone way better than I thought,” said Mr. Salerno. “I just think it should be only for academic periods. I don’t see why students shouldn’t be able to use it for study halls and lunch.”
It’s hardly our fault; phones are made to be addicting and serve as communicators. Don’t have a class with your friend? Just text them during your class. Bored in a study hall? Just scroll through Instagram. Most students were used to being on phones during the lull hours of the day, and many complain that no phones during study halls and lunch periods is ludicrous. However, advocates of the ban say that having no phones “bell to bell” is the easiest way to orchestrate the phone ban from a statewide perspective.
Will this incentivize students to stay home, come in late, or skip class to have more time on their phones? Maybe so.
It’s going to be tough as the year goes on. Communicating with parents often feels essential throughout the day, whether it’s because of a forgotten lunch or to discuss pick-up plans. Phones can often be academic tools for using Kahoot, Youtube (which is banned on the Chromebooks), and listening to music during study hall.
However, with some adjustment, students have been able to survive the school day with just the Chromebooks. Emails could suffice for necessary communication, Kahoot can always be done on the laptops, and most mobile games technically aren’t necessary components of the school day.
Will getting rid of cell phones really prevent distraction in the classroom and boost academic success and productivity? Only time will tell. But for now, it’s safe to say that there is a mix of both vehement support and opposition for the statewide cell phone ban.