But the office of U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory saying it can’t be sure that spending hours a day on cellphones is safe for young people’s mental health. Other research makes connections between cellphone and social media access to increased bouts of depression and anxiety, suicidal ideations and poor academic performance.
A Pew Research Center study found roughly three-quarters of teens say not having their phones often or sometimes makes them feel happy (74 percent) or peaceful (72 percent).
Given the findings, Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster County, believes it’s high time Pennsylvania public students take a break from their phones during the school day.
“We are expecting children to have the discipline to disconnect from social media and their phones but most adults can’t even do that,” he said in a statement. “The data [are] clear — there is a direct causation not just a correlation between the rise of smartphones and the decline in mental health, social skills and academic success of our kids and they need us to be the adults and break the cycle for the sake of their future.”
Aument is proposing legislation that would require student cellphones be placed in secure lockable bags in all public schools during the school day. He is also proposing the idea be piloted in a few districts where its impact would be tracked through mental health surveys, keeping tabs on the incidence of bullying and self-harm, academic performance and other points.
As of Thursday, it had drawn bipartisan support from five senators.
To help gauge the public’s support for his idea, a petition was posted on Aument’s website on Thursday. He is asking Pennsylvanians to sign and offer comments.
While educators may see educational value derived from the use of technology in classrooms, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CBS News in December he would consider calling for “restrictions” on the use of smartphones during school hours.
“I do think that we should have restrictions on phones in the school setting,” Murthy said. “We fundamentally have to understand that these devices, and in particular social media, is behaving largely as (an) addictive element.”
Florida enacted a law in July that prohibits student cellphone use during instructional time and blocks students’ access to social media on districts’ WiFi. Other states are considering legislation similar to what Aument intends to offer, and some school districts and communities around the country have imposed bans, as have some other countries.
Jason Pedersen, a Derry Township School District school psychologist, said giving students a time out from technology has its pros and cons. Among the positive outcomes on student mental health and well-being he cited, it allows students “to be present in the moment where you are supposed to be present. They are engaging in learning and their attention isn’t pulled away by a text or on social media.”
Moreover, he said, “it allows student to be more present and actually engaging with the people in front of them and gives them the opportunity to develop pro-social skills and more pro-social behaviors.”
On other hand, he said, having a phone handy allows children who are feeling anxious to be able to get reassurance from a parent or, more generally, a means to communicate with them. There also is the concern about being able to reach out for help if a safety or security threat arises, but, then again, Pedersen said messages being sent out could put students at risk in those situations.
At Hershey Middle School, the policy is cellphones must be turned off and kept in student lockers during the school day. Pedersen said the impact it has had is difficult to quantify.
“We are a high-achieving middle school and have been both before and after the rule,” he said. “I think that while we don’t have students on — or distracted by getting on social media — during the school day, they still carry in issues that arise from social media from outside of the school day.”
As for the two approaches Aument is considering to proceed with limiting access to cellphones, Pedersen thinks going with a pilot makes the most sense before fully requiring it in all schools. “Then we can make a decision based on what is the most reasonable way to help students be as successful as they can be, which is the function of school,” he said.
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