In 2019, San Mateo High School, just south of San Francisco, became the largest school in the United States to become a cellphone-free environment. Now, nearly five years into what began as an experiment, the school considers the change an ongoing success.
“Students are actually talking to one another,” shares Yvonne Shiu, who has been San Mateo’s principal for 17 years. “We’ve had other people on our campus notice, like, ‘Oh my gosh, you can actually see students’ faces and eyes as they’re walking in the hallways and not looking down at their phones.’”
Shiu remembers clearly what a typical scene on campus looked like before the phone ban was put into place. “Students would sit in circles gathered with friends and they’d all be on their phones texting one another,” she tells Yahoo Life.
