During the COVID-19 pandemic, smartphones were a lifeline. Physical human interaction was put on pause, and young teenagers and children relied heavily on their mobile devices, and especially social media to stay connected to their friends.
According to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, screen time for children around the globe rose 52%. Coinciding with this statistic, 63% of parents lowered their expectations of their children’s screen time.
The problem with this is the pandemic lockdowns ended, but phone addictions in the adolescent population only increased.
In May of 2023, three years post-lockdown, the U.S. Surgeon General Advisory released a report on the impact social media has on young people. It highlights the negative effects that social media imposes on children such as violent content, unrealistic expectations of their bodies, and exposure to cyberbullying.
Not only that but during the ages of 12-18, children undergo a critical period of brain development and social media is physically harming that. A child at this age needs sleep to fully develop their brain. But if a kid is staying up until 3:00 a.m. on their phone every night because they can’t miss out on the latest TikTok trends, it damages their growth.
Similarly, the U.S. Surgeon General Advisory report released that roughly 95% of children aged 13-17 use social media, and one-third of them say they use it “almost constantly.” It also stated that in 2021, adolescents who use social media for more than three hours a day are twice as likely to suffer a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. In 2022, the average use of social media for teenagers was 3-and-a-half hours.
It must be recognized that as a society we are setting our children up for failure, not only with their mental health but in the classroom, if we do not take action.
Many kids, including myself, never want to miss a new trend, miss a funny post on Instagram, or miss an important text. When returning back to in-person classes in the post-pandemic era, teachers noticed a significant change in phone use patterns. Many children were trying to sneak their phones into classrooms, and during free periods or recess, almost no kids were talking to each other but rather playing on their phones. The Surgeon General Advisory Report stated that once a child is in a routine habit, such as constantly checking their phone, it is nearly impossible to break. They are physically conditioned when they hear a “ding” or feel a vibration to immediately look at their phones.
Teachers and professors are tired. They always knew that technology would continue to advance, but they never expected to compete with it. Phones in the classroom are slowly deteriorating the quality of education children are receiving.
But there is a solution to all of this. The removal of phones from learning environments and the implementation of Yondr pouches or phone garages have proven to be extremely beneficial. Yondr pouches are a home for your phone that cannot be opened by anything other than a machine.
A charter school in Boston implemented the use of Yondr pouches. Though they were met with backlash by the students, the teachers were impressed by the results. Teachers noticed better class engagement, fewer reports of bullying, and better test results. This is not the only school that has used Yondr pouches and seen similar results. Utah, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Colorado all have implemented phone bans and report similar outcomes, says The Washington Post.
Just last month, a pilot program for Yondr pouches was announced for a middle school in Manchester, Connecticut. One was launched last year in Torrington, Connecticut as well, and so far things have been going splendidly.
It is proven that this is working and addresses all the concerns of adolescent mental health, education, and relationships, so why isn’t this being implemented more widely?
One answer is that it can be costly. For the Manchester middle school, the total cost for the program was about 19,340 dollars. That is a large sum of money that impoverished areas would not be able to afford. That is why it would require federal funding. I do believe though that if enough data and evidence can be provided to show the benefits of phone ban programs easily outweigh the costs, it could potentially be a federally funded program.
The second argument that is brought up frequently is that anxious parents will not be able to contact their children during an emergency. This is a valid concern because America does have the most school shootings out of any country. But a parent has to have faith in an educator who has trained for countless hours to handle dangerous situations and that principle should not change simply because a child has access to a phone. In addition, Ken Trump, the President of National School Safety and Security Services said that cellphone usage during an emergency situation can actually increase the risk of harm.
Overall, the idea of disconnected education could really benefit schools in the state of Connecticut, and it is already underway in some districts. Further encouragement and pressure from teachers and parents to implement this policy in their county will only help the future of their children. Neighboring states such as New York and Massachusetts are already seeing incredible results in youth mental health, relationships, and education.
In a world saturated with screens and notifications, let us remember that the most profound connections are often found in the moments when we unplug.
Tori Simas is a senior at Trinity College, majoring in both Psychology and Public Policy and Law.