Now we’re getting somewhere. Word is out that Gov. Hochul will press for a statewide ban on smartphones in schools — a long overdue move that would help teachers and students reclaim educational settings for learning and actual human connection.
Though we’ll have to see and parse the bill text when it’s available, just about any movement in this direction is welcome. Smartphones in the hands of kids aren’t always all bad, and even social media apps have their benefits in helping young people learn about the world, entertain themselves and find communities out there in the ether. But there’s such a thing as being too connected; many teenagers report using social media “almost constantly,” on apps where they’re desperately seeking approval.
And there’s no question that when students have phones with apps and full-color screens in front of them during class, they get terribly distracted. Experts like psychologists Jon Haidt and Jean Twenge make a compelling case that smartphones and the social media apps they serve up seamlessly are responsible for making American teenagers feel more anxious and depressed; dissenters say they’re Cassandras oversimplifying complex and interconnected trends. We don’t have years or generations for the research community to come to consensus, if it ever will.
Kids are growing up in the here and now, and it’s mind-numbingly apparent to just about anyone with children — indeed, to just about anyone who’s ever found themse.