Smartphones are a gift. They put the world in our pockets, enabling a previously unimaginable distribution of information and, um, cat videos. They keep us connected like never before.Â
Smartphones are a curse. They destroy social interaction and are highly addictive, causing an epidemic of slouch-backed humans desperate for the next dopamine hit. They destroy focus and make us anxious and lonely.Â
Both arguments can simultaneously be largely true and probably are. But if you forced me to choose one or the other, I’d lean toward the second, which may explain why I think Bethlehem will be doing the right thing by locking up student phones during the school day.Â
As Kathleen Moore reported, the policy shift is set to begin in the fall with the new school year. Students at the high school will receive lockable pouches to put their phones in during the day and won’t be able to free the devices from the bags until they leave the building.Â
Bravo! Right?
Well, some students are horrified, fearing study halls in which they could be forced to read words printed on paper pages. How dreadful! Some parents are also uncomfortable with the proposed change, for reasons I certainly understand.Â
In this age of lockdowns and other horrors, it’s reassuring for parents to know they can reach their teens whenever and wherever. Communication is also helpful for basic planning and reminders, as in: Hey goofball, don’t forget I’m picking you up at four. Or, even better: I’m proud of you and I love you.Â
But school administrators say smartphones come with significant downsides, and not just within classrooms. Students aren’t communicating with each other like they used to; even the cafeteria can be depressingly quiet.
“You see students sitting three, four to a table and they’re all on their phones and they’re…
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