There’s been a growing push to ban or restrict cellphones on school campuses, but those policies can reinforce the very behavioral problems they’re meant to solve.
Blanket bans can invalidate students who already use phones responsibly and, for teens struggling with overuse, can exacerbate cravings by turning phones into forbidden novelties. As a result, screentime is only pushed back and concentrated outside class, when it’s beyond the school’s oversight.
It’s also unfair to assume that most teens are obsessively attached to their devices. Punishing all for the noncompliance of a few breeds resentment among those who follow rules and engage appropriately, ultimately creating a bigger issue.
Read more at CalMatters.
