<!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ --></p> <p>By Evelyn Till, especially for CalMatters</p> <p>This comment was originally posted by <a href=""https://calmatters.org/"">CalMatters</a>. <a href=""https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/"">Sign up</a> for their newsletters.</p> <p>Guest Comment written by</p> <p>Re: “<a href=""https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2024/08/phone-bans-newsom-lessons/"">More California schools are banning smartphones, but kids are still carrying them</a>“</p> <p>There is a growing push to ban or restrict cell phones on school campuses, but these policies can exacerbate the very behavioral problems they are designed to address. </p> <p>Blanket bans can disempower students who already use phones responsibly, and for teens struggling with overuse, they can whet the appetite by turning phones into forbidden novelties. As a result, screen time is pushed out and concentrated only outside of classes when it is outside the school’s control.</p> <p>It’s also unfair to assume that most teenagers are obsessively attached to their devices. Punishing everyone for the non-compliance of a few breeds resentment among those who follow the rules and engage appropriately, ultimately creating a bigger problem.</p> <p>It’s true that distractions and being off the phone have an impact on classrooms. However, targeted consequences are significantly more effective than blanket restrictions. Schools should really only confiscate phones from students who repeatedly offend. This reinforces ideal behavior, discourages abuse and avoids unnecessary expenses like phone bags.</p> <p>This article was <a href=""https://calmatters.org/commentary/reader-reactions/2026/02/cellphone-schools-ban-california-reaction/"">originally published on CalMatters</a> and is republished under <a href=""https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives</a> license.</p> <p> Copy the HTML
