At Elk Ridge Middle School in Utah, a teacher did a social experiment and tallied the number of cell phone notifications in a 40-minute block.
The total was 662 notifications.
From this example alone it’s no wonder that people believe cellphones are a distraction and that people are addicted to them. Here in Portsmouth, NH, we are in the midst of a cell phone battle debating on whether or not cell phones should be allowed in school, and to what extent.
“I feel that cell phones should not be with a student in easy reach because it’s a great temptation,” Kate Fitzpatrick, a Portsmouth High School English teacher, said.
Fitzpatrick believes that cell phones shouldn’t be on the person, and she allows them to use them if needed to contact a parent or emergency. She also believes there is no need for cell phones to be on the person if they already have their laptops for information and since they are easier to regulate and pose less distraction. To keep matters fair Fitzpatrick also puts her phone away during class time.
“Cell phones when they are on the person are a complete distraction,” Rick Hugener, a science teacher at PHS, said. Hugener believes them to be a passive distraction when on or near the student, and “whenever it vibrates your focus is immediately not on the class.” Hugener does think that on rare occasions they can be useful towards what you’re learning.
“I often have students who need to use their phones quickly to look up reference images or to take photos of their work, so we just use them as a resource,” said Sarah. Mundy, an art teacher at PHS.
Since Mundy’s art classes are more hands-on there is little time for students to pull out their phones. Although Mundy does believe they may be a helpful resource, Mundy does understand that different subjects may feel differently towards the phones.
“Cell phones are to be used only for essential communication before and after school, during lunch and breaks only. Cell phones must be turned off and put away during all classes unless part of the instruction is directed by the teacher. If a cell phone becomes a disruption to the class, further disciplinary consequences will follow,” according to the PHS student handbook.
“The policy we have currently is a fine policy, it just needs to be universally enforced. When you have different teachers-different classrooms doing it different ways, it creates conflict,” said Shawn Donovan, PHS’s Assistant Principal.
Donovan also talks about how cell phones are causing mental health problems/illnesses such as anxiety and depression. “The little burst of dopamine you get when you get a like or the opposite, it is exactly the same process as any other addiction.”
“Social media platforms, while enabling us to connect with others and share experiences, can also contribute to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem,” according to the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.
After now realizing the mental health affects people have been trying to lower cell phone usage in therapies and other activities. “To mitigate these effects, it’s important to set boundaries for screen time and to be mindful of the type of content one engages with,” according to the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.
“I feel like it’s not necessary to have on you, but in this generation it just becomes so normal that you almost feel like the odd one out if you don’t [have a cell phone],” Jane Edwards, a PHS senior, said. “It’s kind of sad how everyone is addicted to them.”
“I feel like I do have an attachment to my phone, just like every other high school student,” Cate Baroni, a PHS student. “ I wish we didn’t so we could communicate in person instead of on social media”.
