NEW ALERT:

According to a recent study, the average American spends over 7 hours a day behind a screen. Another study finds that the average American sleeps less than 7 hours daily. With the rise of social media platforms, online shopping, and remote work, people are turning to the internet in lieu of social interaction and self-care.

However, Pennsylvania has a solution. This summer, legislation was passed to prevent school students from using their phones during school. Pennsylvania has granted funding to school districts to implement this ban, believing that it would foster higher social engagement and better students’ mental health.

Since this pertains to Abington, our school has created cell phone holders in instructional spaces. As a student, I am instructed to place my cell phone in the holder at the beginning of class and then retrieve it at the end. Commonly nicknamed ‘phone jail,’ these cell phone holders have sparked controversy among students and faculty of Abington.

But why are these cell phone holders so contentious? Many believe that ‘phone jail’ is simply unnecessary, disrespectful, and an invasion of privacy; if many of our teachers tell us that they will treat us as responsible adults, why is it necessary to confiscate our phones? Others believe they should have their phone in case of an emergency.

However, students and faculty must try to see eye to eye. From a teacher’s perspective, it must be incredibly offensive if they aren’t getting their students’ attention while teaching. The sole purpose of school, after all, is to learn. That being said, the confiscation of phones can be seen as obnoxious to respectful students with self-control. Although students are upset with the school faculty for enforcing this law, the teachers had no involvement in the creation of this law and should not be condemned for doing their job. Perhaps a preferable solution to this matter would be to allow students to place their phones in their school bags during class but only confiscate them if used during instruction. Regardless of whether phones are an issue or not, students and teachers should treat each other with the respect and kindness that they deserve.

Sources:

Howarth, Josh. “Alarming Average Screen Time Statistics (2024).” Exploding Topics, Exploding Topics, 24 June 2024, explodingtopics.com/blog/screen-time-stats . 

Marshall, Steven. “Sleep Statistics and Facts.” NCOA Adviser, National Council on Aging, 11 Mar. 2024, www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleep-statistics/.

Sherry, Hayden. “New Pennsylvania Law Aims to Limit Students’ Smartphone Use during School.” ABC27, ABC27, 16 July 2024, www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/new-pennsylvania-law-aims-to-limit-students-smartphone-use-during-school/#:~:text=(WHTM)%20%E2%80%94%20Legislation%20to%20limit,use%20during%20the%20school%20day