Imagine a day when all 3,200 students at Berkeley High School must turn in their phones before going to their first period class. The 32,00 phones would be locked up for the whole day with few exceptions. Though this concept may seem far-fetched, school districts in New York and Los Angeles high schools have implemented Yondr pouches, magnetic pouches that lock up students' cell phones for the duration of the school day. As studies have found that restricting cell phone usage can decrease bullying and distraction during the school day, action should be taken to restrict cell phone usage at BHS. However, Yondr pouches — which could cost over $95,000 to implement at BHS — and other overly restrictive possibilities are not the solution. A hybrid approach must be taken instead, one that acknowledges the benefits and at times necessity of personal cell phone usage by giving students some degree of independence, while mitigating the downsides by keeping them away during instructional hours.
On Sep 23, 2024, Gavin Newsom signed the Assembly Bill 3216, otherwise known as the Phone-Free School Act, which requires all schools in California to develop an anti-phone policy by July 1, 2026. The aim of the bill is to reduce anxiety and depression that has been linked to cellphone usage, along with increasing students’ attention spans. Despite the ambiguity of the bill, some Berkeley parents have asked for a complete phone ban during the school day for all grades. This is currently the policy for Berkeley Unified School District elementary and middle schools, where students are required to have phones off and away from the first bell of the day to the last.
However, a similar policy wouldn't be as beneficial for high schoolers given the benefits that cell phones have during non-instructional times in the school day. If students are not able to learn self-management skills now, they will be forced to learn them in the expensive and high stakes environment of college. With a strict phone policy, students aren’t given the practice to choose when to use their phone and when not to, which will only hurt decision-making skills long-term.
Phones were created for one primary purpose: communication. Having a phone in your pocket allows you to communicate with anyone in the world at any time, which is especially important in case of emergency. Among the 3,200 students at BHS, there are bound to be student emergencies every day. Without phones, parents and guardians will have a very difficult time reaching their kids, which can make a massive difference in a time of crisis.
Evolving from their original use, phones have now become a tool for learning. Through surveys, Kahoots, the camera, and calculators, phones are the swiss-army knife of learning. In physics classes, students use slow-motion cameras to record carts colliding, and in math classes, students have free access to a scientific or graphing calculator.
With off-campus lunch at BHS, it is essential to have access to a phone during the 40 minute period. Being left behind by your friends at lunch can feel extremely isolating, and without phones, students can’t text or call to ensure they are not left alone. Additionally, with contactless payment systems at almost every lunch spot in Downtown Berkeley, many students use phones to pay for their lunch.
These benefits to having phones accessible to students don't undermine the real downsides that can come with phone use. A solution must be implemented. One that many teachers currently use, where students put their phones away in pouches during each period, is effective in reducing distractions and fostering a conducive learning environment. Students don’t have access to their phones during instructional time, which has proven to be beneficial for their own education, and for encouraging collaboration with peers. As long as this phone pouch policy is enforced school-wide, there will be no reason to employ the drastic measures of a bell-to-bell phone ban, one of which has potential in doing more harm than good.