Cell phones are little yet powerful devices that offer endless interest, communication, and distraction. In the school environment, cell phones do not mesh well. Here in our very own Northwest community, we are not immune to the problems cell phone use creates and its impact on academic performance, behavior and more. Some may even say it’s an open secret that Northwest has a cell phone problem. This article delves into that very claim.  Let’s look at what our community has to say.  Does Northwest have a cell phone problem?

The most basic thing that comes to mind when asking someone to imagine a teenager is to picture them with a cellphone. It’s not news to anyone that teenagers use their phones a lot, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15-18 year olds spend an average of 7.5 hours on screens as of 2023. And while on paper it may sound like a lot, it is likely a teen will tell you those are rookie numbers.  Most teens most definitely clock in these hourly averages at the place they stay the most, school.

It is not uncommon among teachers to feel strongly about the usage of cell phones in class. Mr. Green, a teacher with an anonymous alias, offered strong feelings and insight into the issue. 

“I have been teaching for 14 years and can confidently say that there has not been anything more damaging to the learning experience than cell phones in the classroom.” he stated. “Teachers will never be able to compete with the friends, games, music, and social media sites that students have at their fingertips throughout the day.”. 

He mentions how he regularly checks in with other instructors, concluding that “…most are having a similar experience with cell phones presenting a major challenge.  Teachers seem to feel helpless when it comes to limiting cell phones in the classroom, as well.  Without consistent rules and guidelines on cell phone use in the classroom, students are not in the habit of keeping their phones away and have a very difficult time resisting the temptation to use them during class.” 

Mr. Green also emphasized the damage it is doing to students, and teachers who love to do their job. “Over the past 3 years, I have watched my classes go from being rooms filled with both educational discussions and informal conversations to being absolutely silent as students stare at their phones.  My favorite part of this job has always been interacting with students, but the phones have almost completely taken that aspect of class away.”And, as stated earlier, many teachers “can’t compete” with the appeal of cell phones, so it feels incredibly bleak and frustrating.

Mr. Green believes that the state of phone enforcement currently is “inconsistent” and “has led to more problems because students are not in the habit of keeping their phones away.”, largely due to the fact phone enforcement is generally up to the individual teacher. “I have had the best discussions with my classes that I have had in years during the times I have required students to leave their phones in their backpacks during class. I feel that having a school wide policy like this that is also consistently enforced in all classes would promote the idea that being fully present and engaged in class is important.”.

Another teacher with similar sentiments is Ms. Rhee, a new mathematics teacher at this school who attended Northwest during the years 2012 to 2016. 

“It’s not just restricted to Northwest, it’s also a nationwide issue.” she states. “I do think it’s gotten worse, I went to Northwest between the years of 2012 and 2016,…. And people would have their phones on them at school but you would rarely see students using it during instruction.” Something that is most certainly not a reality for today, as students can be seen with phones in virtually every single classroom.

Students are incredibly glued to their phones, so much so they do not care much for actual instruction, as Mr. Green’s expressed concern before.

Ms. Rhee offered her perspective on this lack of interest, or more so what is actually interesting to them. “I think students use their phones a lot because they want the instant gratification of entertainment and socializing with friends. But I also think a lot of students don’t know how to discipline themselves to identify their current priorities at the moment.”

So, with all this in mind, what do students think?

To begin, it is important to note that the opinion on cell phones and their issues from the perspective of students varies greatly, and there is no unanimous opinion.

Some students such as Red, a senior who wished to stay anonymous, claim “It could be worse. I think as far as NWHS it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.”. She further explained that, “[She] think[s] part of the reason could be that teachers don’t make classes interesting enough. This is something [her] psychology teacher Dr. Swope talks about a lot. [She does] not think that this is not a problem, just that it isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.”, which is not an uncommon stance that many students have. Her perspective shares that while it is a problem, to many students it is blown out of proportion, and caused by uninteresting classes.

Another anonymous student, a Junior who will be called Yellow, agrees in a similar vein as Red that it is “moderate” but “there is a problem.”

“It’s a problem because a lot of kids are smart and have a very good work ethic but what’s holding them back is their phones. …. It limits their success but it’s harming the work ethic and the phone is a distraction.” Yellow states, which also correlates to the concerns of educators. 

Another anonymous student, a sophomore who will be called Blue, agrees with the belief that phones harm student learning. “…there’s way too many kids using phones during class and I’m also guilty of that, but I feel it’s impacting people’s poor academic performance including mine.”

Yellow also offered the perspective that it would generally be better for phones to be removed from classrooms. “If I were to solve the problem I would take the phone away … .and in like the last 10 minutes of class allow people to take their phones out if they do their work.” She also mentioned how “…your phone can just go in your backpack.”, something Mr. Green brought up earlier.

It is important to note that these are just the perspectives of a few students and a few teachers, and are not an all complete consensus. However, these interviews offer insight into similar and overlapping perspectives, such as the effect phones have on students’ engagement/progress and the solution of getting them out of sight out of mind entirely.

I myself wanted to write this article because I must admit I have a phone issue, as do many people at Northwest. And, I’ve noticed the way it has started to affect so many things in schools, from rises in skipping and poor class engagement.

Only time will tell whether this issue will better or worsen, and a lot of it may depend on how students discipline themselves and how teachers and administrators will handle these issues going further.