Proponents of the bills say cellphones are distracting and damaging to students' mental health, but some parents are expressing public safety concerns.

Summary

Several states, including Alabama, Maryland, and New Hampshire, are introducing legislation to ban or restrict cellphones in schools.

The measures claim to reduce distractions and address concerns over teen mental health linked to heavy social media use.

Proponents argue such bans help students focus, but opponents, including parents, warn of safety and communication issues.

“If something were to happen in the school, my child should be able to have their cellphone to be able to call for help, to be able to call me,” said parent Jeara Underwood.

Experts emphasize teaching responsible tech use rather than imposing broad bans.

  • @banshee
    3•1 day ago

    Out of curiosity, I searched for China’s approach and found that they banned children bringing phones to school without written parental consent. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55902778

    I’m still figuring out where I stand, but I’m not sure I disagree. School shooters have been linked to high social media use. I wonder if a ban could help at all in this regard.

    On a side note, I don’t really see how banning cell phones could be interpreted as punishment. If anything, it should help reduce apparent disparities and avoid punishment for inappropriate use