Why do parents oppose the ban on mobile phones? They want to reach their children if 'the worst happens'

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Jenn Silverstein's two children have experienced an active shooting situation at their school. They both attended East High School in Denver last year, when a student shot two administrators at the beginning of the school day.

When the school closed, her children sat in the auditorium, waiting for guidance and hoping the shooter wouldn't enter. All they could do was text their mother, seeking comfort and a sense of security.

Having experienced that, Silverstein was deeply moved when she read the Message exchange between sophomore Abby Turner and her mother. during the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia earlier this month. While reading the texts, Silverstein immediately thought of the new cell phone bans that schools have adopted; At East High, students do not have to hand in their phones but cannot use them in class.

“It made me realize that the idea of ​​schools not using phones just doesn't work for me,” he said.

Silverstein is far from alone. As more states and school districts impose bans on cell phones over concerns that they distract students from learning and put a strain on children's mental health, not all parents agree. Those skeptical of the bans express concern about their ability to communicate about important everyday issues as well as emergencies. Others say officials have banned cell phones without first properly consulting parents.

A recent survey of about 1,500 parents commissioned by the National Parents Union (or NPU, an advocacy group) found that, among parents whose children bring their phones to school, 78% said the reason for doing so is to be able to use the device during emergencies.

Additionally, 48% cited transportation coordination and 45% cited mental health and other needs as reasons they want their children to bring their phones to school. (The survey did not ask whether parents supported or opposed the cell phone ban.)

Mobile phone bans in schools take many forms. Some schools require students to put their phones in bags that block the signal at the beginning of the day. Some schools require phones to be placed in cases at the front of the classroom. Others simply require students to turn them off and put them inside backpacks. Some schools prohibit the use of phones only in the classroom. Others ban them for most of the school day.

In fact, 88% of parents surveyed reported that their schools already have policies that limit cell phone use, at least partially. Supporters of cell phone ban say qualified restrictions can put teachers in a difficult situation by turning them into executors and leave plenty of room for distractions.

These policies have been influenced in part by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's 2023 advisory on The effects of social networks on the mental health of young people.. There is evidence that many teachers are concerned about mobile phones: 72% say that distraction caused by mobile devices is a major problem in the classroomaccording to the Pew Research Center. And recent media coverage of mobile phones in schools has often been quite critical of their impact on children.

But on the other side are parents with a very fundamental desire: they would like to be in contact with their children.

While the chances of a child being involved in a mass school shooting are small, such events have increased in recent decades and can occur anywhere, raising fears for parents.

“We have to accept as a fact of life that we regularly have mass murders of children in the nation's classrooms,” said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union.

News stories about mass shootings often include text messages between parents and children.

Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety Services, a consulting firm, said it's understandable that parents view cell phones as an “emotional security blanket.”

But he said cell phone use during an emergency can actually increase safety risks. It's common for parents to drive to school after receiving a text message from their child. Such an influx of parents during events such as school shootings makes it more difficult for authorities to reach the scene or evacuate students.

“In a critical incident, if there are 20 kids texting, taking calls or livestreaming, they won't be able to pay full attention to safety guidelines or stay alert,” Trump said.

Then there are concerns about the public process that has gone into the bans. According to the NPU survey, 70% of parents say they were not asked for input or feedback on cell phone policies.

But beyond these concerns, communication with children plays an important and fundamental emotional role for parents.

“The telephone creates a feeling of connection. I want them to know I'm there and be able to say I love them if, God forbid, the worst happens,” Silverstein said.

Parents seek compromises on cell phones at school

Despite safety concerns dividing parents and educators, families do worry about the effects of social media on their children's academic performance and mental health.

Among parents surveyed by NPU, 76% said schools' current cell phone policies successfully prevent the devices from “distracting students during instructional time.”

There are approaches that could address the concerns of both parents and educators. One way is for parents to avoid policies set by schools by using other types of devices.

When Issac Soto, a father of two in Victorville, California, learned that cell phones were not allowed during school hours, he invested in smart watches so his children could communicate directly with family in case of emergency.

“We also don't want them texting their friends or watching videos in class,” Soto said.

Rodrigues, of the National Parents Union, said she uses an app called Aura that allows her to manage things like what apps and websites her children can visit on their phones.

School phone policies are still evolving. Different schools and districts are still discussing bans, and some parents have said they will simply challenge policies if they don't take families' needs into account.

But rather than focusing on bans, it's important to think broadly about the role of cell phones in children's lives, said Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education.

“They should develop skills to make healthy use of their phones, even when they are not in school or when they graduate,” he said. “We must create interventions that allow for open discussion about when and how they use their phones and access social media.”

Soto's children, who are 8 and 5 years old, are just beginning to develop these skills. Still, he hopes that by the time they reach high school, they will have developed skills to use their devices more responsibly and make the cell phone ban unnecessary, but they will also experience less violence at school.

“This world is very different from the one we grew up in and we need your help to help them be better than us and not go through the problems that we went through,” Soto said.

chalk beat is a nonprofit news organization that covers public education.

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School Safety Impacts Performance, Instructional Time, and Educator Retention
Lax cell phone policies in New York schools burden teachers and leave students confused
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