School district cellphone bans spark debate over tech addiction, helicopter parenting

In an increasingly digital world, more schools are enforcing cellphone bans, which proponents argue will help students academically and reduce cyberbullying, but many students and parents believe access at all times is a necessity.  

In particular, parents are among those most opposed to no-cellphone policies. While most students see their cellphones as a welcome distraction in algebra, parents often see them as a lifeline to their children during the school day, allowing them to bypass school administrators and get in contact with their child directly. 

Parental opposition to cellphone bans prompted speculation from experts that parents might be mollycoddling their kids by demanding they have the ability to communicate with them at all times. 

"We're in a communication era where we are used to being able to send a quick text message and get that instant gratification of having a response, and that's no different when it comes to parents," Fox News contributor Dr. Nichole Saphier told Fox News Digital. "We no longer know what it's like to not hear anything from them, that's not normal anymore. Parents used to send their kids to summer camp without any communications except a couple of letters."

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"We have tipped that scale a little too much," she added. "Parents may be too involved in everything that's going on with their children. It is fundamental to a kid's development to handle situations on their own and navigate those difficulties without the parent coming in and protecting them from those feelings of being uncomfortable."

During the 2019-2020 school year, more than three-quarters of schools, 76.9%, did not allow non-academic use of cellphones or smartphones during school hours, which was up from 70.3% in the 2017-2018 school year, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig agreed with Saphier, explaining it’s not healthy for parents to be in constant communication with their children, indicating it may suggest a "desire for control" or "anxiety about their child's well-being."

"It is important to strike a balance between staying connected and allowing children to develop their own independence and autonomy," she said. 

"It could indicate a lack of trust or an overprotective parenting style," she added. "However, every parent and child relationship is unique, and the reasons behind wanting to stay in constant communication can vary."

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Florida, for example, passed a law in May that requires public school districts in the state to impose rules barring student cellphone use during class time. 

The Florida law requires "each district school board to adopt an Internet safety policy for student access to the Internet," asking each district "to prohibit and prevent student access to social media."

The law also requires public schools in the state to "provide instruction on the social, emotional, and physical effects of social media" and "prohibit student use of wireless communications devices during instructional time."

In response, some school districts, like Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) in Orlando, Florida, went so far as to ban students from using their cellphones during the entire school day. Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida also has a new cellphone policy that warns students if "We See It — We Take It."

In addition, other school districts throughout the country, including in Westbrook and South Portland, Maine and Charlottesville City Schools in Virginia have experimented with policies that limit cell-phone usage as teachers compete for students' attention. 

Saphier said that as a mother of three and a physician, she can see both sides of the cell-phone argument. 

"It's a double-edged sword," she said. "At one point we want to be able to communicate with our children, and it's much easier to communicate with them directly than going through the school administrative system."

"I am a huge supporter of not having phones in school," she said. "I am OK with not being able to communicate with them at every moment, because if kids have their phones, they will be on them. We are already in a situation where children's education was completely upended during the pandemic. We do not need to contribute to any further learning loss in school."

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"However, I don't think people are truly understanding the dangers of students being online and social media addiction," she added. 

Saphier cited studies that have consistently found increased depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts among teens who used social media for exorbitant times during the day.

Dr. Karen Baptiste, the CEO of Preschool to Prison, LLC, agreed, explaining that the current focus on technology brings attention to adolescent reliance on cellphones and the mental health impacts of using social media for hours at a time every day.

"It's just not a healthy process and we want to be able to utilize this as a teaching opportunity where we actually model healthy usage of how to use the phone, when to use the phone, how is it as an asset and when to identify when they're spending too much time," she said. "What is the information and the content that they're taking in and [how is it] making them think, feel and believe about themselves and those around them?" 

Baptiste warned that spending hours a day on social media, which some students report doing, is definitely going to lead to longer term issues with mental health and socialization as America's youth gets older. 

"If a child is on a cellphone more than 7 hours a day, that means they're missing sleep and that also is critical to their development and their health, because at this young age, the human brain doesn't develop until 25, so you're now giving children something that's addictive," she explained. 

She argued that there are a myriad of policies that schools can put into place to ease the fear of parents. 

"A lot of times when you see this fear coming in, it's because no one's had a conversation with the parents, the voice of the parents haven't been included, these policies were implemented, and then a memo goes home saying, 'Here's the new policy, deal with it,'" she explained. "All kind of thoughts go into a parent's mind."

"I also see why parents would not want cellphones to be banned," she added. "You look at the day that we're living in now where we've had mass shootings in schools, not once but numerous times. Parents are going into a panic, kids are in a panic and the immediate thought is: ‘I have a cellphone for safety, I can call for help.’ Those are all valid points and I completely understand that."

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Baptiste said she understands why many school districts have implemented such policies because not they're not only a distraction for students, but teachers are forced to constantly compete against social media for student attention. 

Some schools have reported greater attention and happier students who aren't distracted by an iPhone or an Android.

"Teachers didn't come into this field to police cellphones, and that's what's happening now," Baptiste said. "They're not able to get to the content because of an unnecessary distraction and this is an unnecessary distraction."

Ludwig emphasized the importance of understanding that parenting in the digital age requires parents to be more tech-savvy, vigilant and proactive when it comes to teaching children habits to help them develop a healthy relationship with technology.

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"The digital age has also changed the way parents communicate with their kids by providing new ways to interact technologically, i.e. via texting, video call, social media platforms," she added. "Parents also need to be aware of how to balance face-to-face interactions with digital interactions."

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