Pros and cons of school cell phone bans

Many schools across the U.S. have floated the idea of banning cell phones in classrooms, and these bans largely have bipartisan support. Currently, 35 states have some rules or policies regarding classroom phone use. This is also not a rare policy, as “bans on phones are being enacted or proposed in at least 40% of national education systems, with the aim of helping students focus,” said The Economist . Despite this, not everyone agrees that completely banning cell phone use is a good idea, and some believe it can cause different types of harm.

Pro: Reduces distractions

Banning cell phone use in class can lead to more focused students. “The human brain is incapable of thinking more than one thing at a time,” Michael Rich, an associate professor of pediatrics and an associate profes