Ring, Beep, Buzz: Cell Phones in the Classroom

Students owning and bringing cell phones to school is more common than ever. For many families, they offer peace of mind regarding safety and the ability to connect should plans change. However, constant access to a cell phone can distract students’ attention spans in the classroom. It can also lead to negative student behavior, including peer conflict or cyberbullying via electronic means; taking photos or videos of others without their knowledge and posting to social media; or attempting to complete social media challenges.

Concerns about children’s healthy habits regarding cell phones has led to the exploration of strategies to curb usage. Schools in the metro area are implementing practices to help keep children on track throughout the school day.

How Schools in Metro Atlanta Are Creating Change

The Marietta City School Board approved an initiative to curb the use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) during the school day to enhance the learning environment and help students. Starting August 1, students at Marietta Sixth Grade Academy and Marietta Middle School will be required to place their cell phones and smartwatches in Yondr pouches at the beginning of each school day. Pouches will be provided, but students have the option to buy their own.

Yondr pouches lock with a magnet, ensuring devices remain secure throughout the day. Students will keep the locked pouches with them. Exceptions will be made for students with documented medical conditions.

“We were getting consistent feedback from teachers about how cell phones were a distraction from learning, and we were getting feedback from administrators about altercations that started from social media and cyberbullying. Families needed help and wanted support at home,” says Dr. Grant Rivera, the Superintendent at Marietta City Schools. “We came up with a comprehensive strategy addressing classrooms, cafeterias, school days and families.”

Community engagement included parent meetings, student focus groups and surveys. This collaborative approach ensures a solution for educators and families. Marietta City Schools plans to provide resources and materials to help families manage digital use at home.

“We’re working with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to identify the best practices for families. We want to have those resources for families,” Rivera says. “We’re looking for a research partner who will help us study child wellbeing dynamics as we launch this project. We want to make sure these practices are healthier for children. We’re talking with healthcare professionals and IT experts, and throughout the year, we want to give families tips and tricks for those best practices. I have a rising sixth-grade daughter, and I am learning about filters where she’s kicked off her device after a certain time and filters to see which websites she’s visiting. It’s helping me as a father and a superintendent. As the father of a rising middle schooler, I shouldn’t have to look for those resources on my own. That’s our responsibility.”

Atlanta Public Schools’ Midtown High School is implementing a PED-free zone this upcoming school year, which includes personal computers, phones, smartwatches, tablets and headphones.

“It’s a new and more consistent practice,” says Dr. Betsy Bockman, Midtown High School’s Principal. “Our students are extremely distracted, and our teachers are spending a lot of time monitoring and having to correct cell phone usage. It’s taking away from teaching and learning. This is the best time to get students focused.”

Yondr

At Midtown, students’ Yondr pouches will be used in a similar way as Marietta City Schools. Before this initiative, teachers dealt with cell phones in different ways. Some teachers might put them in a box at the beginning of class, while others might use individual holders, and others might try to limit cell phone use through discussion.

“We have 115 teachers, so it’s hard for consistency across the eight classes students attend,” Bockman says. “It put the burden on the teacher, and we’re taking that away, so teachers don’t have to write up behavior referrals, call administrators or parents, or spend time trying to correct kids’ use. We’re taking that task and burden off of the teachers.”

Policies differ across schools and districts. For the upcoming school year, DeKalb County School District is piloting a classroom cell phone ban via Yondr at five of their middle schools and five high schools, while three other middle schools will utilize lockers for phones. For the 2024-25 school year at Cobb County School District’s Barber Middle School, PEDs must be turned off upon arrival at school and must remain in the student’s bookbag until the end of the school day. In Fulton County Schools, cell phones are not allowed for elementary school students, and in grades 6-12, they must be turned off during instructional time and only allowed during breaks with explicit teacher approval.

Expectations also vary at private schools. At High Meadows School, PEDs are used strictly for school purposes and at the direction of the teacher. At North Cobb Christian School’s Middle School, cell phones must be turned off and remain in lockers or backpacks anytime a student is on campus, except at dismissal. For Upper School students, cell phones can be used during passing periods but are stored in a designated area upon entering class.

A Commitment to Social and Emotional Health

Cell phone usage negatively affects a child’s ability to pursue in-person communication.

“Students use cell phones for all kinds of things, and I see this myself with my two children,” Bockman says. “Students are constantly on them for communication and social media reasons. In the hallways, they’re on their phones. At lunch, they’re on their phones. We’re trying to improve the social situation and get kids to interact with each other.”

Changing the over-reliance on cell phones and social media is expected to have a positive impact on students and the school environment.

“Kids are receiving 237 notifications daily, mostly from Snapchat and Discord, neither of which have anything to do with learning,” Rivera says. “If their phones are in their pocket constantly buzzing and dinging, we recognize that as a distraction from learning. We also don’t want kids to define their self-worth through social media. We are concerned about the wellbeing of the child. We want to help them be focused in class. We want them to imagine and reflect on better versions of themselves. We want to allow kids to be kids while they’re in school. We want to imagine a different classroom, a different cafeteria, a different Marietta.”

At Midtown, this practice falls in line with the school’s commitment to health.

“It’s about the care of teenagers’ mental and academic health. We’ve put a lot of money into health resources,” Bockman says. “We spent a semester coming up with this plan, getting feedback from kids and parents and doing research. Students need help, and this is the next step to help with emotional and mental health.”

Technology in the Classroom

Technology will still play a role in the classroom. Many school districts allow students to use  district-issued Chromebooks.

“We will continue to use technology in the classroom, but kids are not using their own personal devices. District-issued Chromebooks do everything the teacher asks students to do, so students don’t need personal devices,” Bockman says. “We want students to focus on the business of school for the seven hours they’re here.”

“Student learning in the classroom shouldn’t be dependent on technology. There is a relationship between the child and the teacher when it comes to learning that can’t be replaced with technology. That relationship is difficult when the child cares more about their cell phone than the adult in front of them,” Rivera says. “We’re not doing away with technology; we’re just redefining what technology makes sense with learning.”

Technology also allows parents to communicate with their child, if necessary. For example, at Midtown, parents will be able to communicate through their Chromebook or Schoology, and there will also be a period at the end of the school day for students to check their text messages.

Family Measures

As cell phone usage and screen time are concerns for both educators and parents, families may be re-examining their media habits at home.

“We hope parents are having conversations about cell phones with their kids and are using the summer to put some restrictions on usage, so it’s not going cold turkey when students return,” Bockman says. “Parents understand this is for their kids’ mental, academic and social health, and we hope they will continue to support us.”

Consider making healthy habits a priority. Start by setting achievable goals to reduce screen time. Practice being a screen-free role model and set aside your own devices when holding conversations with your children. Consider implementing exercise as a family for more movement and to cut down on screens. Turn off all screens an hour before bedtime, and consider removing any screens or devices out of your child’s bedroom. Implement more screen-free meals to open up family discussions. American Academy of Pediatrics’ site, healthychildren.org, offers a guide to creating a Family Media Plan to help you and your children set and revise priorities as a family.

“Families are supporting our vision. Know that there is now going to be the expectation of locking devices up. Help prepare your child now,” Rivera says. “Cell phones are extensions for many middle schoolers, so we don’t want them to feel stressed or like they’re missing out. Families can empower their child at home. Wellbeing doesn’t stop when kids get off the bus, so it’s important for us to work together to help children be well and healthy.”