Here’s what students think about new cell phone restrictions in Arlington schools

Students and teachers have returned to classes in Arlington Public Schools, but there was one notable absence this year. District School Board I voted in August limiting the use of cell phones by students – codifying a “get in and out” policy in all primary and middle schools, allowing high school students to turn on their devices only during non-teaching hours, such as during lunch or between classes.

At Wakefield High School, students are taking part in a more stringent pilot program that requires them to pass a place your mobile phones in magnets Yondra bag before the first period. Although the bags can be left with you, access to the phones inside will only be possible until the end of the day using magnetic unlocking stands at designated stations.

The pilot program reflects new draft guidelines Virginia Department of Education urging schools to take action to implement a “bell-to-bell” phone ban, meaning devices must be turned off and put away from the first ring at the beginning of the day until the bell at the end of the day, without exceptions for lunch and to pass the time. In July, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order calling for official guidelines on how schools across the state should implement cellphone-free education.

Wakefield is only Arlington High School this is part of a pilot program implemented next to three junior high schools. More permanent guidance on mobile phone use will be published for participating schools in December.

Youngkin is barely first suggested that the use of cell phones in schools contributes to classroom distractions and mental health problems for students. What do students in Wakefield think about the new restrictions? Washington met with three Wakefield students and their principal, Peter Balas, to discuss their experiences so far:

Life before the ban

Junior Brianna Gilbert reports Washington that he usually uses his phone “in addition to all my other stuff.” It’s her alarm clock, her calendar, and the place where she keeps her notes for school. Before Yondr bags came to Wakefield, she says, “I was using my phone pretty much all the time, every day.” This includes having it on your desk sometimes during class, but only when you are doing independent work – not during lectures, presentations, or when the teacher is giving instructions.

This is similar to how senior Kindu Okoko says he used his device. It was a way to keep his schoolwork organized while also keeping up with his extracurricular activities — being able to text people and ask, “Hey, what’s going on?” Are we meeting today?” – he asks. But like Gilbert, Okoko says that when it was time to “buckle up” during class, he moved his phone from his desk to his backpack.

Gabrielle Harber, a senior, said she often used her phone “more as a recess.” She answered texts, checked emails and occasionally played games, but said she had no difficulty refocusing during class.

“It’s not the most important part of my school day like some of my other classmates, but I would use it every day,” she says.

Tough start

Harber is still getting used to not having access to her phone during the day. “I don’t take payouts because it sounds like I’m addicted,” she says, but adds that on the first day of the new policy, some of her classmates “couldn’t cope with it.”

“If you have a purse, it’s a magnet, right? And if you hit it hard enough, the idea is that it will open up,” says Gilbert.

Students remember their first lunch break without phones: Children throwing bags on the table “sounded like gunshots,” Harber says. In some cases it has worked to free the devices. But at some cost.

Balas chimes in: “We had some broken phones.”

“In my head I thought, ‘OK, I get it.’ You want to open it up,” Harber says. “But you do understand that your phone is in a case? You would destroy your phone. There’s a kid in there – he threw him down. And I said, “What’s the thought process behind that?”

All three students attribute this behavior to technology addiction, which they believe is common among Gen Z members.

“At this age, these are your formative years,” Onoko says. “You find yourself. You’re trying to find your confidence, your individuality, and your phone keeps hurting it. There are people who are afraid to just sit alone. There are people who are unable to conduct their own mental checks.

Onoko tells Balas, “You better get ready for Generation Alpha if you think we’re evil.”

The day the music died

One loss all three students mourn: being able to listen to music on their phones during the school day.

Harber finds that music helps her concentrate throughout the school day: “I need it because I prefer to listen to song lyrics than what some people say.”

Gilbert finds it helpful to put on headphones to concentrate: “Classrooms are either too noisy or too quiet, so it’s a nice moment in between.” Okono echoed this sentiment, saying that going for a walk and listening to a song is part of his “learning process.”

Less is more

In terms of personal development, all three students say they are happy to be able to reduce their screen time. “I feel like most of my headaches happen at school — well, 95% of them are from kids — but it’s probably from looking at a screen all day,” Harber says.

According to Harber, beyond their individual use of the phone, the three students felt a “change in the atmosphere.” While Gilbert thinks it’s too early to see any long-term effects, she’s glad her teachers are excited about the policy: “Their attitude is great.”

Lunchtime especially seems to be the new frontier. “It’s so cute now,” Harber says of her classmates socializing. Students see people who previously sat alone join their classmates to eat a meal. They notice new friendships among their peers. Traditions flourish: children gather around a friend’s laptop to watch a show.

In the absence of phones, students are even interested in Yondr bags. The group plans to meet up to decorate their decorations together.

“I think in that respect, from a social standpoint, putting phones in cases is an advantage,” Harber says.

Creating memories

The three students are optimistic that limiting phone use will continue to have social benefits in the future. “It’s hard to have that kind of connectivity in school when you’re in such a big school,” Gilbert says. They I also hope that the new restrictions will refresh their attention span.

“If I’m distracted enough that I’m wasting time at school, then I’m not accomplishing as much as I could by coming here,” Onoko says.

The three say that when the policy was first introduced, their peers expressed concerns about how they would remember their high school years without cameras on their phones. But now that these restrictions are in place, students are finding new ways to document their days. Gilbert has a digital camera in her backpack, and Harber has started bringing her camera to school. They find that it helps them stay present.

“We don’t live in the moment,” Harber says. “We don’t really do that because we always have to have a camera on something to be like, ‘Oh, we survived that.’ But think about how many generations have gone by when they could easily say, “Oh, this is the greatest day of my life because this happened” – and not all the time they had something to capture that moment.

Safety concerns

Throughout Generation Z, concerns about school safety is given. Wakefield’s senior class started elementary school in 2012 — the same year that the Sandy Hook shooting killed 20 first-graders and six of their teachers. They didn’t know a school environment that didn’t carry a hidden threat of violence.

“If something were to happen, if an intruder entered the school with the intention of harming someone or hurting people, would the phone and communication be sufficient to respond to the situation?” Onoko says.

Three students remember blockade it happened three years ago in response to a threat made by the school on social media. Harber texted her family’s group chat to keep them updated on the situation, and her mother comforted her. “The bad thing is that we were all scared by something we received on the phone. But the good thing is that I was calmer because I had my phone,” she says.

While students hope that phone restrictions will ultimately reduce social media drama and other sources of bad moods, they worry about some of their peers who may struggle to adjust to being away from screens in the short term.

“I think for a lot of teenagers, like our demographic, phones are causing an increase in social anxiety and an increase in depression because people are addicted to them,” Onoko says. “I mean, if we look at it from a mental health standpoint, when you’re going through addiction, it takes time to like and really unlearn and work away from these habits.

“It will be more difficult for some than others, but I think in the long run it is something that is necessary from a social point of view. No one should be so dependent on something.

About their generation

Zoomers sometimes feel criticized by older generations for not being able to live without their phones. Onoko says it’s because they’ve never done it before had to: the first iPhone came out in 2007, when most of its class was born.

“I think what makes us so different is that we grew up with it,” he says. “We didn’t have a big, big change because when we got to that age we thought, ‘Here’s the phone.'”

Outside of the classroom, all three students still believe that cell phones are a useful learning tool. “If you’re exposed to all this information at a younger age, you need to develop critical thinking skills,” Onoko says. “Otherwise you fall in love with anything, and I don’t think people have done that and don’t know how to navigate – shout out, Boomers.”

Harber wants older adults to know that her generation takes education seriously, despite stereotypes that technology has completely impaired their ability to concentrate and prevents them from formulating original thoughts. Research shows this Generation Z is the most politically progressive generation in history it’s more than just a statistic – for her, it’s proof of the reality that she and her friends live every day, hoping to reach adulthood. “Your time is almost up. Mine is just starting.

It’s time for TikTok testimonials. Gilbert laughs: “Did you know you have 30 minutes?“