For data about school cell phone bans, talk to kids
The Virginian Pilot, Originally Published: November 7, 2024
By Bethany Teachman and Nancy Deutsch
We are in the midst of a natural experiment. School districts nationwide are implementing cell phone bans. Here in Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order bans phones in public schools from kindergarten through grade 12, typically from “bell-to-bell.” That means no access to devices during breaks, lunch or class.
As The Virginian-Pilot reported, there are widespread and growing concerns about the effect cell phones are having on youth’s learning and mental health. However, the science is far from settled.
Our recent conference at the University of Virginia brought together Candice Odgers and Jonathan Haidt, two leading voices who share a deep concern for youth’s mental health, but disagree about what the science says. Their debate moved the conversation beyond flashy headlines and showed how much we still don’t know.
We need to act quickly to evaluate the impact of policies that are being put in place now. Many education and health care leaders take for granted that banning cell phones in schools will improve students’ mental health. We applaud their efforts to address the brutal mental health burden that far too many adolescents are experiencing, and we all agree it would be wonderful if the bans have the intended effects. But that’s not a sure thing.
Bans look different across states and across schools. We know parents of high-school students who regularly receive texts from their children during the school day despite phone bans. We need to know how actual use of devices in schools is changing, and whether bans in school alter phone use outside of school. We need to understand in what ways social connections change in the absence of phones. Do youth talk more meaningfully when devices are away? Do marginalized youth find it harder to access community and support online?
Arguably, the most important questions are if and how different cell phone bans affect youth’s mental health. What types of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, are impacted, if any? Are effects different for students at different ages?
Getting the answers is possible, but we need to measure youth’s phone use, social connections and mental health, both in and out of school, in an ongoing way. This moment is a great opportunity.
But if we want to get good answers — the kind we can use to make policies work for our children — then we need to make them partners in evaluating the policies and practices that affect them. The teens who spoke at our conference know there are both helpful and harmful effects of their devices; just like us, they live it every day.
In hours of youth-led presentations, not one teen said it made sense for them to be on their phone during class. They did, however, raise real concerns about not being able to connect with families when threats occurred in their schools and worried about how youth who rely on devices to meet their special educational and health needs would be supported. One group of 15-year-olds we know routinely tell one another not to be a “screenager,” a term they use when device use gets in the way of their in-person connection. These teens all recognize the need for balance and see both the benefits and pitfalls of their devices.
We need to stop underestimating youth. With support for their digital wellness, youth can be part of the solution.
There are both exciting opportunities and serious concerns about the impacts of digital technologies on youth’s development. But as policies come online at breakneck speed, we need to stop flying blind. If our goal is to protect our children, it is essential to partner with them to study what is happening, be open to what the data reveal, and listen to how kids want and need support to thrive in this digital environment.
Bethany Teachman, Ph.D., and Nancy Deutsch, Ph.D., direct Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment, a new initiative at University of Virginia that advances research on youth development in the digital context and ways technologies can increase access to care.
