Assorted Articles in Astoria

“What if they need to make a call?”

“It’s just a distraction!”

“It’s the kid’s property!”

There are a whole lot of arguments on the new Bell to Bell ban on phones in school, but here is my view on the topic as a student myself (no, I will not whine about ‘how unfair everything is’).

My school always took phones in morning homeroom and returned them in the afternoon, with the penalty for getting caught with your cell phone being confiscation and the student’s parents or guardians having to come to the school to pick up the phone.

This meant that there were hardly any instances of kids filming other kids in school or completely ignoring the lesson while they scrolled on TikTok. Of course, there are always the ones who slip under the radar and film TikToks between classes, but overall things are fairly orderly. That is to say, I support this ban, BUT I still see the points that some with a contrasting viewpoint can make.

For starter, the phone is personal property. But, then again, so are folding knives and popper disks. Schools have to take some personal items away from students if they’re dangerous or disruptive, and phones are arguably both.

Then there’s the fact that kids without phones can’t make calls, but there are few situations, if you really think about it, where this could be necessary in a school full of people and adults with cell access. While I could see the benefit of being able to contact your parents or the police in an emergency, or maybe just calling your friend at lunch, the cons of having a phone in class seem to outweigh the pros.

Phones are a buzzing distraction that can be used to humiliate others online or turn the brain to mush, but while they can be used in a mature manner, many students are unable to do so.

My final word on the subject is that I wish kids could be more responsible with their devices so they could keep them during the school day, but it seems to me that there really isn’t much choice at this point other than banning the cell phone in schools.