Keep cell phones out of classrooms
As a retired educator (college professor in health sciences) I have strong feelings about quality education.
I was not only surprised, but alarmed when my friend, a Kapaa substitute teacher, told me that teachers decide whether or not to allow cell phones in the classroom.
Two days later, 4/10, I read an article in TGI called “Changing rules for changing times,” which explained that Kauai’s public and private schools have different policies; some schools restrict cell phones and others don’t.
The TGI article does say that cheating and texting are problems with cell phones, and that teachers “find it a distraction as some students can’t take their hands off them.” I question the decision to allow cell phones in the classroom.
In researching this subject, I found a wealth of information online from Newport Academy, a Teen Rehab and Mental Health Treatment Center. They help teens deal with substance abuse, anxiety, eating disorders, mental health issues, as well as smart phone addiction.
“Teen cell phone addiction goes hand-in-hand with mental health and substance use issues,” their website said. “For example, anxiety increases when the cell phone is not readily available. Moreover, depression deepens with a lack of human contact.”
A study by the University of Illinois surveyed more than 300 university students. Those who “self-described as having really addictive behavior with the internet and mobile phones, scored much higher on depression and anxiety scales.
“Teen cell phone addiction is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Constant cell phone use is a powerful driver for making this condition worse,” the study said. “The cell phone becomes a focus of OCD-oriented behaviors. Teen cell phone addiction means the smartphone is always needed. The cell phone, like a drug, becomes a way to escape stress and reality. It alters the perception of the user and builds a barrier between the addicted teen and the real world. Grades at school can drop and participation in extracurricular activities can diminish. Like any addiction, cell phone addiction leads to recklessness and poor decision-making. When combined with motor vehicles, cell phone use can have frightening outcomes.”
I ask that all administrators and teachers study all the research on cell phone addiction and understand the serious mental-health-related implications for young people.
Allowing the use of cell phones in the classroom only validates and supports a problem that will dominate their future lives. Instead, educators need to be guides who champion nature, reading, writing, sports, art and other healthy options to cell phones.
I believe that the purpose of education is to help students develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically, into fully functioning, addiction-free adults. Keep cell phones out of classrooms.
Gabriela Taylor, Keapana Valley
Very well said, Gabriela. There is no compelling reason why a student would need a cell phone while in class.
Cell phones in classrooms? Stupid idea.