Phone ban will benefit Nutley students

Phones shouldn’t be used in school for a variety of reasons, and the new cell phone ban, recently signed into law by former Governor Phil Murphy, will benefit Nutley students overall.

A study from Auburn University found that "Cell phone use in school contributes to a lack of focus that negatively impacts learning. Social media use has also been linked to poor mental health outcomes, so cell phone use appears to compromise youth wellbeing, and it's particularly problematic in schools,". This research shows how negative phones are to students’ mental health and well being. Students who use their phone during class have shown to score lower on exams and assessments rather than students who put their phones away. 

Administrators agree. Principal Denis Williams recognizes that other schools have had positive results with a phone ban. “If you look at other districts that have implemented the phone ban it has been a positive experience for them,” he said.

Vice Principal Michael Rovetto also cited a specific example where a phone ban has shown to be beneficial. “Ramsey, a town twenty minutes away from us has implemented this phone ban and administrators have seen students acting better and participating more during school,” he said. 

Many teachers that work in schools where phones are banned have noticed a positive effect for students and the school as a whole. Eighth grade science teacher Carly Johnson looks forward to seeing positive results. “I think that this upcoming phone ban will be beneficial as a lot of kids use their phones during class, and they are distracted, and I believe this phone ban will help them,” she said.

Johnson’s opinion is rooted in research. A study from Auburn University found that “Teachers, unsurprisingly, viewed the cell phone ban as a positive change. They reported more social interaction in class between students, including students helping others with assignments”. This shows how even though students can see the ban as a negative and can be against it, it really is beneficial to them.

And research from Boston University confirms this: “The data is clear that phone use in school is problematic and facilitates everything from distractions to cheating to bullying.”

According to the National Education Association (NEA), teachers have been very interested in the effects of cell phones in the classroom: “Educators are deeply concerned about the impact social media has on students' mental health, and believe those negative effects are another reason to limit access to phones at school.’’

Phones also have been proven to decrease overall scores on tests and performance. The Auburn University research “Smartphones are a distraction that undermine students’ ability to focus and learn.” Thus, smartphones distract students' ability to focus and if phones are banned this would not be an issue. 

Overall, based on the research and opinions from administrators and teachers, students will benefit from a cell phone ban, and so will their report cards.