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Good morning. I’m running my first 5K this weekend — fingers crossed that I’ll be able to walk by Monday.
Today, we’re looking at ferry prices, a funny penguin, and Boston-born Erewhon.
But first, let’s examine the evidence surrounding school smartphone bans.
After years of debate among schools, parents, and students over whether smartphones should be banned from classrooms, Globe correspondent Kara Miller has come to a conclusion: Phones are bad for students, and taking them away is the only solution.
Here’s why:
Diminishing attention spans in the classroom. Research has shown that with the rollout of 3G around the world, bringing internet access to cell phones, test scores dropped pretty universally. The decline equated to losing a quarter of a year of school.
Declines in work productivity. On average, we check our emails 77 times a day, and compulsively read texts, comments on Facebook, or replies to a post on X. “We want to know who needs us, who likes us, who is saying bad things about us,” Kara writes. And that erodes our ability to concentrate, especially if we are working on something that involves deep thinking, such as complicated presentations, research, coding.
Poor quality sleep. Kids who use electronic devices like smartphones in the hour-and-a-half before bedtime reduces the quality of their sleep and makes them more lethargic the next day, studies show – not a good recipe for learning.
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Emotional damage. A range of research from around the world has linked high use of cellphones to “digital stress, low self-esteem, worries and angers, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.” Bullying also comes into play, as kids make cruel TikToks or ridicule unpopular students in group chats.
A ban can be a tough sell to parents, who like the idea of being able to reach their kids, even if only to tell them they’ll be late picking them up. And with a rise in school shootings in the US, some want their children to be able to call to let their parents know they are all right.
Several countries have banned smartphones in schools or are testing the idea. A recent study out of Norway of 400 middle schools that had banned smartphones showed positive results, including decreased bullying and improved academic performance among girls.
The US has been late to the party. Florida, Indiana, and South Carolina have instituted bans, while the governors of California and New York are pushing for them. In Massachusetts, a growing number of communities are restricting electronic devices, including Ipswich, Lowell, Brockton, Methuen, Fall River, Sandwich, and Pioneer Valley Regional. Governor Maura Healey has not called for a cell phone prohibition in schools. But Kara writes, “She should.”
COMMENT: Should schools ban smartphones? Send your thoughts to startingpoint@globe.com. We might publish your comment in a future Starting Point.
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