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High schools should ban smartphones.

Introduction

The modern world has surrendered by taking the mobile smartphone as the daily essence

of contemporary life. In the case of adolescents, it has become part and parcel of their everyday

lives. While those devices are advantageous in many ways, the debate goes on over whether

these are to be permitted in high schools or work against the student's academic performance,

mental health, and socio-development process. The paper validates the assertion that a total ban

on smartphones is necessary in high schools because of their deterring effects on students'

prospective fruitful academic achievements, mental well-being, and socio-interaction processes.

I. Smartphones as a Major Source of Distraction

The most highlighted cause for the ban on smartphones in high schools is that they are

the primary cause of distractions. Sometimes, it becomes hard for students to focus on their

studies when they always have access to their phones. A study by UNESCO revealed that

permission to use smartphones during school hours severely decreases students' ability to

concentrate on academic tasks. The research shows that it takes a student an average of 20

minutes to refocus on their work after using their phone. This distracts them not only from

learning but also affects their academic performance.

A study in Spain reveals that in diameter ways different schools where bans against

smartphones had been implemented, students' academic achievement upgraded substantially in

comparison with other schools, mostly on areas like mathematics and science. The finding saw

students in schools with smartphone bans scoring equivalent to nearly an additional year of

learning, in comparison with students attending schools which didn't have the ban (Beland and

Murphy). This means that there should be few disturbances in a class for the students to succeed

academically. Despite the fact that some assert that smartphones might be useful for a couple of

things in education, the possibility of them causing disturbance outweighs the good. Indeed, it is

way too complicated for students to fight the urge to check up on social media, text their friends

back, or simply play games during classes. As a result, it became a must to forbid smartphones

inside high schools to get a more focused and productive way of learning.

II. How It Affects Mental Health Negatively

Other strong reasons that justify the prohibition of smartphones in high school include the

negative impacts it can have on the students' mental health. The constant 'connectedness' that

comes with smartphones can increase anxiety, depression, and other cognitive problems in

teenagers. According to Tim Daly, excessive usage of smartphones is related to high stress and

anxiety levels in students. Underpinning these mental health problems is the pressure to be

connected all the time, accompanied by a fear of FOMO (Daly).

Beyond the stress of living in an always-on world, smartphones have also opened up the

possibility of cyberbullying in the lives of students, which can sometimes be fatal to young

minds. Since digital platforms are anonymous, bullies have the freedom and ability to victimize

their targets without fearing any immediate repercussions, thus prolonging and increasing the

harassment. Prohibiting the use of smartphones in high schools reduces cyberbullying and

ensures safety from its psychological consequences for students. Even though some might be

tempted to think that smartphones offer some social support to students, it is quite unfortunate
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that the negatives associated with their use generally outweigh their benefits regarding mental

health. Prohibiting the use of smartphones in schools would help ensure a much safer and more

supportive environment that provides the well-being of its students.

III. Hindrance to Social Development

Smartphones are considered a hurdle in the social development of children because they

reduce face-to-face contact with students and dilute their communication skills. If students use

their phones all the time, they never get in touch with people talking about health conversation to

live a healthy life or make good relationships. The Schneider article states that smartphones cut

off in-person communications, which causes weaker social interactions and decreased empathy

(Schneider). Moreover, young people's constant use of smartphones in any social setting

subsequently makes them feel separated, and one can feel annoyed and unwanted in the company

of friends or classmates who seem riveted by their gadgets. There will be additional fuel for

feelings of loneliness and social anxiety in those with already struggling powers of relating to

others.

High schools could engage students much more with each other by banning smartphones.

Students develop essential skills that allow them to thrive in life. It might be argued that

smartphones help students retain the ability to interact with their immediate social circle. Yet, it

is mainly at the expense of face-to-face human interaction. The quality of these connections

remains superficial, for it needs to include the dimensions and emotional connect associated with

face-to-face communication. High schools banning smartphones can help students focus more on

meaningful interactions than superficial digital connections.

IV. Enhancing the Learning Environment

A ban on smartphones in high schools can only improve the learning environment

through increased student engagement, deeper understanding, and fewer disruptions in classes.

Ubiquity has thrown up problems that have hardly occurred a decade ago to trouble educators.

Conversely, evidence has shown that schools currently taking strict action against the use of

smartphones are starting to see real benefits. "In Spain, a ban on smartphones saw students

improve significantly in their studies especially in the core subjects of mathematics and science.

According to the researchers, the suggested gain was because of the lack of class distractions that

enabled the students to focus their attention on their studies better (Beland and Murphy). This is

quite in accordance with findings from another country, Norway, whereby prohibiting the use of

smartphones in schools increased the attainment of academic results and enhanced the

opportunities to proceed to higher, more academic education.

Moreover, there have been staggering alterations in classroom environments for schools

that have adopted strict policies on smartphones. For example, in some schools, as reported by

The 74, that were completely free of devices within their facilities, the improvement noted was

huge in concentration, class engagement, and improvement in students' grades. The teachers also

reported fewer disruptions to classes; hence, they could cover their lessons more cohesively and

comprehensively. Without access to smartphones, there was very little scope for these students to

get into all sorts of off-task behaviors like surfing social media or playing games, hence

providing them with an improved learning environment. Other than reducing distractedness

among pupils, school-wide bans on smartphones exceptionally work to preserve the integrity of

the academic process. In cases where students have access to the internet, they may be tempted

to use it during examinations or when doing assignments; this nullifies the principle of fairness

and credibility of academic assessments. By keeping these devices out of school, one can ensure
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that their assessments are based purely on what the students know or really can do, thus

guaranteeing a value-free environment against which students are held up to expected

performance standards.

Conclusion

The case for banning smartphones in high schools is quite compelling, as evidence proves

how these devices adversely affect the performance, mental health, and social development of

the subjects. This majorly causes distractions by diverting students' attention from their books,

thus consequently undermining their ability to complete learning. It has been testified that in

schools where bans on the use of smartphones have been enacted, improvement in academic

performance is realized in key subjects like mathematics and science. The class dynamics and

behavior of students in such schools also tend to improve. On the other hand, the adverse effects

of smartphones are more prevalent on the mental health of students. Continuous connectedness

and exposure, caused by social media, may increase the level of anxiety, depression, and other

mental illnesses. Moreover, it encourages a high rate of bullying through cyber means. Keeping

this in mind, therefore, the banning of cell phones from schools will ensure that students conduct

themselves in a safe and caring environment looking out for the mental well-being of their

students so they shine in class and personally.

Works Cited

Beland, Louis-Philippe, and Richard Murphy. "Ill Communication: Technology, Distraction &

Student Performance." Labour Economics, vol. 41, 2016, pp. 61-76.

Daly, Tim. “Should Schools Ban Cellphones?” Thomas B Fordham Institute, 8 Dec. 2023,

https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/should-schools-ban-cellphones.

Jacobson, Linda. "So Your School Wants to Ban Cellphones. Now What?" The 74, 4 Aug. 2024,

https://www.the74million.org/article/so-your-school-wants-to-ban-cellphones-now-what/.

Most, Doug. “Why Schools Should Ban Cell Phones in the Classroom–and Why Parents Have to

Help.” BU Today, 8 Dec. 2023, https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/why-schools-should-

ban-cell-phones-in-the-classroom/.

“Advantages and Disadvantages of Banning Cellphones in Educational Institutions.” Schneide, 2

July 2024, https://www.schneideit.com/blogs/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-banning-

cellphones-in-educational-institutions/.