Most schools around the world allow their students to have access to their phones in campus. However, many institutions have recently been considering to limit the use of mobiles during class, recess, and even lunch break, which has caused many people to debate whether this decision is a right one. I believe that restricting the use of mobiles during school will benefit students, as it will help them develop the social skills they have lost, and focus better in class.
Restricting phone use in the classroom itself can improve learning. When screen time is limited in the classroom, students will be less prone to the distractions they might face, such as notifications, and will be able to focus only on the teacher’s explaining. Picture this: while a teacher is explaining, there is a student that can’t seem to keep the ringing of notifications out of her head. So she attempts turns her device off, yet gets side tracked and opens Snapchat and keeps scrolling until class is over, ultimately learning nothing! This can have a detrimental effect on the student’s attention span, which can have long- term effects on the their academic progress. To sum up, restricting phone use in the class would help students pay more attention to what’s taking place in class.
In addition, students’ social skills will be able to skyrocket when we ban the use of these devices. Removing phones will give students the nudge they need to speak to their peers, and form relationships that they wouldn’t have been able to while using their mobiles. On the other hand, allowing unlimited access to screen time will cause students to shy away from each other, and rarely interact, thus deteriorating their communication skills. In other words, there is a direct relationship between students interaction with one another and screen time.
In conclusion, limiting phone use during school hours will provide students with advantages they might not have while using it. As a result of restricting screen time, students will be able to progress academically and pay more attention in class. Moreover, peers will likely interact with one another and form relationships when there are no gadgets in sight. School administrations should not look over the effects of phone use on campus, and implement rules regarding restricting phones right away!