Siri IagnemmaYou’ve probably heard by now that Belmont High School has banned the use of phones during class. Believe me, it’s all anyone is talking about at school.
BHS administrators are probably already studying the effectiveness of the ban — that is, its impacts on test scores, attentiveness, and learning. However, I spoke to my friends and classmates to see how students really feel about the ban. Some of them only agreed to talk to me if I withheld their names, as they were afraid their opinions might get them in trouble.
Eve Whitmer, 11th grade, pointed out that “in electives and language classes, [phone hotels] are more important because people are less likely to do the work. … I honestly think the classes I’m in and the people I’m with [the ban] isn’t necessary, especially in AP and honors classes.”
Eve’s point raises an important question: Is the ban really necessary at BHS, a school full of highly motivated students?
Another 11th grader, Lina Kang, expressed a common view. “I don’t think it was necessary,” she said. “But it was helpful — I think it has helped students stay focused and teachers teach better classes.”
Overall, she agrees that the ban has made her more productive.
“I’m more aware of what I’m doing, and the people around me are more aware as well. The policy creates a better learning environment and removes the expectation to be checking your phone all the time,” she said.
Another student agreed that the ban was unnecessary, arguing that most kids weren’t overly distracted by their phones before the ban. “Even though there were always a few kids in every class [on their phones], it was on them if they missed the directions or didn’t do the work. I don’t really think it was necessary because, as far as I know, most people weren’t on their phones in class before this.”
A lot of students said cell phones wouldn’t be an issue if teachers were more engaging.
A 10th grader told me: “I don’t think it was only a phone issue. If students aren’t motivated and the teacher isn’t making an effort, to me it made sense that they turned to an accessible source of entertainment.”
This student also pointed out that the policy presents a significant disruption to what has become normal behavior.
“Students use their phones. It’s not a new concept. But students have also gotten used to having them in school. When everything is online, and social media is so common, it feels natural to be on our phones in school — it’s communication as well.”
As part of the policy, students are supposed to put their devices in “phone hotels” before class begins. It’s all under the honor system, and while I personally observed most of my classmates using the hotels, one 11th grader humorously recalled “in one of my classes someone’s phone literally fell out of their pocket onto the floor in the middle of class.”
Chaivin Moon, 11th grade, said the ban sometimes creates logistical nightmares.
“A lot of the kids and teachers have noticed some students go around forgetting phones, or crowding at the phone hotel before and after class, which can be overwhelming in a big class,” Chaivin said.
One interesting ripple effect of the new cell phone policy is the effect on wireless earbud usage. In previous years, it was common to see students listening to music through earbuds in most classes. Many teachers seemed not to mind — or didn’t notice — this behavior.
In my conversations with students, nearly all mentioned that they missed listening to music at will, including Eve, who didn’t really mind the policy in general.
“I wish I could listen to music in X-block or while working,” she said. (X-block is like a study hall, and generally, kids can work on their own.)
While I personally think a cell phone ban may not be completely necessary at a school like BHS, I understand the administration’s desire to improve the learning experience. Schools across the country have been adopting similar policies, and it seemed like only a matter of time before research about the negative effects of phone usage on teenagers made an impact on BHS.
In general, students seem to be accepting of the ban and recognize that, while it’s something of an inconvenience, it also leads to fewer distractions in class.
Siri Iagnemma is a junior at Belmont High School. She writes about Gen Z for The Voice.