Our Findings
In the state of Virginia, USA, and recently our state government put in place a widespread phone ban in schools, which doesn’t allow phones to be used for the entire day, with the exception of one designated break time. While students acknowledge the merits of the intention behind the ban, most are very frustrated with its widespread reach. Many complain that they’re no longer able to enjoy social media content during breaks, or stay in contact with people outside of school during the day. A major reason for the shock of this ban was its break from earlier precedent; phones had been part of American school culture since the early 2000s; why stop now? But this isn’t the case for many schools across the world which may have had stricter policies leading up to this point.
In November, we’re looking at the views of kids across the world surrounding phone bans in schools, and evaluating their efficacy in minimizing distraction for students.
- How strict would you describe your school’s rules surrounding phone use?
- Do you feel that your school’s phone policy is effective in keeping you less distracted?
- How do you think your school’s policy should change in terms of strictness?
If you were in charge, briefly describe how you’d regulate phone use such that kids can learn while still feeling connected? Please be reasonable in your response.
Auckland, New Zealand
Our findings:
Most students had mixed feelings about the new phone ban. Some said it helped them focus in class, but others said it didn’t make much difference. A few students felt more stressed or bored during breaks because they couldn’t use their phones. Lots of students suggested allowing phone use during interval and lunch.The phone ban has some good effects, like better focus, but it has its downsides.
A fair solution might be to let students use their phones during break times while still keeping them away in class.
Mumbai, India
Our findings:
When asked to rate how strict the present rules regarding phones were on a scale of one to five (with five being most strict), more than half of students reported a four or higher, and most students found that the rules should be significantly less strict. Despite the high average for strictness, on average, students only found these policies 50% effective at actually keeping them focused during the school day.
When asked to propose their own phone rules, most students proposed that phones not be used during class times, instead during break times or before and after school. However, one consideration that was made was for instances where phones can actually be used to improve learning, like “send[ing] already researched information via email.”
Overall, students in Mumbai report a desire to have less strict rules, or at least more opportunities to use their phones in a way that doesn’t interfere with learning.
Virginia, USA
Our findings:
Although phone rules became more strict, on a scale of 1-5 (5 being most strict), students rated that their school rules were around a midpoint of 2.63. They did also report, however, that schools should lean more towards leniency in their policy, indicating that, on the same scale of 1-5, school policy should aim for around a 2 level of strictness. Lastly, phone use policies are often executed for the purpose of keeping kids focused, and when we evaluated that, we saw that students reported that on average, students rated their school policy a 2.75 out of 5 in terms of ability to help them stay focused.
Finally, we asked students to offer their input, balancing both the learning and social aspects at school, as to how this policy ought to be executed. Most students, rather than executing a widespread ban or widespread leniency, chose to add certain conditions for phone use. Many proposed designated times or places in the school where students could use their phones. A general trend was that phones shouldn’t be accessed in class, with one respondent stating that “[phones] should be completely banned in classrooms because it’s too tempting of a distraction for some students.”
Per the results of our survey, we concluded that rather than aiming for blanket policies, schools should take more targeted approaches, allowing phone use during specific times and breaks, throughout the day, rather than just one overall policy. One critical point that the survey’s results demonstrates is this: students also acknowledge that the purpose of school is to learn, and they’re willing to give up their ability to always access their phones to fulfill that purpose.
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