Schools Examine Cell Phone Policies

“Just turn it off and don’t touch it.”

17-year-old Ivori Presnell knew how to detach from her phone. Her goal to win a contest earlier this year meant she simply put her phone away.

“There’s, of course, a lot of things I use my phone for, but there are other ways to use my time such as reading or writing or doing some project or whatever for entertainment,” says Presnell.

The May “Phone-Free Friday” competition, sponsored by Alexander County Schools, was intended to raise awareness about social media addiction. Presnell knows the dangers of overusing her phone.

“Through my education, they’ve always drilled it into our heads pretty much every year about the dangers of the internet, social media, and technology and all that. They make sure we know the risks of it and how to use it responsibly and safely,” says Presnell.

Despite students knowing the dangers, social media studies show teens 13 and older are likely to check their phone as much as 100 times a day.

While ACS has no plans to change the district’s student cell phone policy for 2024-25, many school systems are. Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Burke County, and Rock Hill, SC are among a growing list of systems that will have students put their phones in pouches at the beginning of class. The policies are popping up as educators become more aware of the mental health effects and academic troubles created by phone use.

The other districts are using tactics like what some teachers in ACS already do.

“In my classroom we all have the autonomy to pick, and my students turn phones in at the beginning of class, so I don’t have any issues with that. But during study hall or what not if they’re not working on homework, sometimes I see it but we’re just like ‘We’re not doing Tik Toks today. Put it away. What do you have to do? Look at your syllabi. Look at what your assignment list says you have to do.’ We try to constantly redirect them,” says Melissa Sharpe.

Sharpe teaches advanced math at Alexander Early College. She says students must use determination to avoid overusing their cellphones.

“It does take a lot of willpower and commitment and understanding of what temptations they have with social media. It’s so prevalent today,” says Sharpe.

In districts that have put policies in place, some pushback has come from parents.

“I have a kid in 10th grade at the high school. I sure want her to have her cell phone, so she can be in touch with me since I’m not there with her. But not during the day. She can wait till later,” says Sharpe.

State lawmakers have proposed a study on district cell phone policies. Meanwhile, forty-one state attorney generals across the US have sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The suit alleges the company designs its platform to be addictive.

Without any policy change in ACS, students and teachers say changing behaviors will be up to young people themselves and their parents.

“I think there’s always that potential to get hooked especially with people who get it very, very young and there’s new things you can do on the phone coming out all the time, so there’s always something new for people to get hooked on, too,” says Presnell.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nationwide 76% of schools forbid phone use during the school day.