Question: We are looking for any research on the impact of cell phone use policies, or lack of policies, in middle and high schools. We have heard that a policy of no phones during instruction time improves learning. 

 

Answer: Overall, most of the research on cell phones in schools examines the impact of phone use on student behavior, rather than evaluation of whether cell phone policies are successful at improving learning.  

What are the concerns or potential negative effects of unstructured cell phone use in schools? 

Educators have expressed concerns that easy access to phones in school can lead to students being distracted, bullying each other, and videotaping each other, which invades privacy. 

Distraction and Multitasking: 

  • In several surveys, students have reported that texting is distracting to nearby students (Tindell and Bohlander, 2011).  
  • A study on laptops in a simulated classroom found that students in the vicinity of another student who was multitasking on a laptop during class scored worse on a test than those who were not near multitaskers (Sana et al, 2013).  
  • However, a follow-up study found that it matters what one’s neighbors are doing on their computers; a neighbor who engages with off-task content has a more harmful effect on one’s comprehension than if the neighbor is on-task (Hall et al, 2020). 
  • A 2011 study of first-year college students tracking their multitasking on computers showed that heavier multitaskers had lower first-semester grades. However, it is possible that multitaskers have other differences (like lower impulse control and weaker working memory) that could contribute to both their computer use patterns and their lower grades.  

Privacy: 

  • In one study in the Czech Republic, 36% (9,706 children) stated they had been photographed by a peer without consent and 23% (6,115 children) confirmed that they had been video recorded by a peer without consent.  

Non-Educational Activities:

  • The majority of what middle and high schoolers do on their phones during the school day is not educational: a recent study tracking 11-17-year-olds’ phones showed that social media, messaging, YouTube, and video games were the most-used apps on phones during school hours. In this study, teens who were interviewed stated that they often use phones as a way to take a “mental break” or “reset” when feeling overwhelmed in school. This suggests that students need other activities and strategies to help them self-regulate and take a break when they need it.  

What evidence is there that supports school cell phone policies? 

There is some support for the effectiveness of school cell phone policies from quasi-experimental evidence, meaning that researchers looked at student outcomes before and after schools decided to implement cell phone bans. (Quasi-experimental evidence means that there could be other variables that changed during the study that explain their findings, unrelated to phone policies).  

In one of the best-known studies on this topic, Beland and Murphy (2016) examined changes in GCSE scores (standardized tests taken in the UK at age 16) from before to after cell phone bans were in place. In the spring of 2013, they surveyed 91 secondary schools (students ages 11 through 16) in four English cities (Birmingham, London, Leicester, and Manchester) that had instituted a cell phone ban between 2000 – 2011. They defined a mobile phone ban to be in place if a school restricted their use on school premises. Over half of the schools surveyed said compliance with the bans was moderately high. Compared to years before individual schools’ phone bans, students’ GCSE scores had small but significant improvement (6% of a standard deviation) in the years after the ban. Even greater improvement was found for students with special education needs or those with a history of lower test scores.  

A group of Swedish researchers tried to replicate this study in 2017 by comparing Swedish national educational data for 1,086 schools between 1997 and 2017. Over that time, 60% of schools instituted a phone ban. There was no change in student performance assessed at grade nine (age 16), either by grade point average or standardized math test score, comparing the years before to the years after cell phone bans went into effect. Results might have differed from the UK study above because of their school systems (Sweden integrates more technology into classrooms) and sampling approaches (the UK study sampled from schools that had more students from minoritized race/ethnicity, more students receiving free school meals, and slightly more students with special education needs, compared to the general UK population). It is also worth noting that this study did not measure any non-academic outcomes.  

A 2022 publication from researchers in Spain compared standardized test scores and rates of bullying before and after cell phone bans were enacted in two regions of Spain in 2015. They found a significant increase in standardized test scores (around 10 points in math and 12 points in sciences) in the one region where test score data was available. In both regions, reports of bullying dropped 15-18% among 12–14-year-olds and 10-18% among 15–17-year-old students after the phone ban.

Other evidence is correlational, meaning that researchers compared experiences in schools with and without bans: 

A 2019 survey of over 27,000 Czech students aged 7-17 asked them whether their school had a cell phone policy, what they usually did during break times at school, and how bored they felt during break times. In schools where mobile phones were banned during break time, more students self-reported that they read magazines (60% more), books (13.5% more), played board games (65% more), card games (43% more), and sport activities (29% more). There was no difference in boredom ratings between students whose schools had cell phone bans or not (about 1/3 of each group). Although this study didn’t examine changes in non-tech activities before and after cell phone bans, it shows that many students take advantage of alternative activities when they are supplied by schools.  

Many schools have been sharing anecdotal evidence about what has been working in their schools.  

A recent Education Week article outlined some of the creative ways that educators separate their students from their phones. These include: 

  • Stash backpacks at the front of the room 
  • Use over-the-door shoe holders in classrooms, in which students can use those slots to store their phones right when they walk into class 
  • Yondr pouches, which keep phones locked inside a pouch until students tap them against a magnetic device on their way out the classroom door 
  • Having administrator support. For example, when a teacher takes a student’s phone away and calls the front office to collect it, support staff should come within minutes to help  

In this article, district leaders, principals, and teachers at schools with no-cell phone policies have reported improvements in students’ well-being since policies went into effect: 

  • Interacting more with one another 
  • More engaged in classroom activities 
  • Fewer discipline problems and violent behaviors, which may result from cyberbullying and things students say to each other via texting or social media messages 

In addition, teens interviewed as part of this Common Sense Media study reported that they appreciated consistent phone policies across the whole school, rather than having to remember which teachers allow phone access, and which don’t.  

Barriers to implementation have also been studied: 

One study at an upper secondary school in Sweden with 1,200 students asked eight teachers to implement a cell phone policy of their own choosing. Each classroom played out differently, and each teacher made their own interpretations of the implementation. Teachers noted that the process of collecting the mobile devices at the beginning of class became difficult for multiple teachers (in terms of being time-consuming, stressful, and often involved conflict and negotiation), and eventually, they started making more exceptions for cell phone use. In this school, some teachers use mobile phones as a teaching tool, so those who didn’t institute as strict of a ban found the process less challenging.  

A recent survey of parents from the National Parents Union found that many US parents want their middle and high-school-aged children to have their phones easily accessible in school in case there is an emergency. (Although the survey didn’t specify what type of emergency, we at the Center of Excellence primarily hear about gun violence concerns from parents). Parents may not trust having schools keep phones completely away from their children during the day. Only 32% of parents whose children were in schools with total phone bans supported this policy. The majority of parents (56%) believe students should sometimes be allowed to use their cell phones in school, during times like lunch or recess, at athletic events, and in class for academic purposes approved by their teacher. When asked about preferences for different phone policy approaches: 

  • The majority of parents (59%) supported a policy such as “Allow students to keep their phones in their backpack or bag (not locked up) as long as they don’t take them out and keep them on silent.”  
  • 15% supported “Require students to place their cell phones in a central location in their classroom, such as a cubby or holder, but don’t lock them up.”  
  • 14% supported “Require students to place their cell phones in a locked cabinet or cell phone lockers in their classroom.” 
  • 8% supported “Lock up students’ cell phones in secure pouches or containers that they can carry with them but that prevent them from using their phone.” 

Most parents wanted cell phone policies to be made at the school district or school level, while only 10% thought it should be made at the state level, and 5% at the federal level. 

When bans or policies are put in place, many students disregard them and it is usually up to teachers to be enforcers. This is an extra burden on teachers and will be difficult if teachers are not provided with the tools or strategies to carry it out.  

Recommendations for Creating Cell Phone Policies 

Experts recommend that school districts involve parents, teachers, and students when developing a cell phone policy.  

Concerns and questions to consider include:  

  • How much public support is there for a cell phone policy? Will parents support it and help their children follow it? 
  • What do teachers currently do about cell phones? It can help to identify best practices (like putting cell phones in a bag or holder at the front of the room) that can be taught to other teachers. 
  • What will the consequences be for violating the policy? This needs to be made very clear to students and parents. 
  • Including students so their perspectives can be considered, which will lead to greater acceptance of the policy. In recent research, some teens said they didn’t mind when schools enforced a cell phone policy because it helped them resist the pull of checking their phones and just focus on school. 
  • How will students and teachers be trained on the policy? Make sure there is ongoing support and conversation between teachers, students, and administrators.  

Here are a few tools and examples to review when creating a cell phone policy and building the offline skills that students will need to fill the space left when phones go away: 

References 

 

 

 

Age: 6-17 

Topics: Cell phone policies, school policy, academic performance, mental health, education, digital citizenship, community health 

Role: Educator, Clinician  

Last Updated

04/12/2024

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics