On July 9, 2024, Glenn Youngkin put an executive order prohibiting phones in school. Youngkin made this new law to limit “the amount of time [students] are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media” and to “[eliminate] clear distractions in the classroom.”
Youngkin put out this rule because of the negative effects cell phones were having on school performance and mental health. The Office of the Governor stated that “an average of 4.8 hours a day on social media, and recent studies indicate that spending more than three hours a day on social media doubles the risk of poor mental health for adolescents.”
However, I believe this phone policy is not cool because if I need to text my mom about something that is happening immediately, I should be the one who is doing the texting. What if something is happening to me and she has to find out from the school and not from me? I think I and every other student at Gloucester High School should be the ones to tell our parents if something has happened to us and not the school informing them after it already happened.
I am not the only student who disagrees with the phone policy. Sophomore Sarah Smith holds an extremely similar opinion. She believes the new phone rule is stupid because what if something happens and she needs to text her mom. She would not be able to text her mom because of the new phone rule.
Many parents, including hers, are also concerned about their ability to get in contact with their child during emergencies. I agree with parents on this both in emergencies and outside emergencies. There have been plenty of cases where I have needed to text my mom for a ride. Last year students had the ability to text their parents during a lockdown, whereas now our parents would have no idea what is happening. If I were my mom, I would want to know what is happening to my child at school and if it is something serious.
Smith also said that she does like the phone rule because she likes to listen to music, as it helps her to focus on her work. I understand because I and many other students have an easier time focusing when doing work while listening to music.
Overall I disagree with the new cellphone policy and believe that they should be allowed in schools.
