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AFT, NEA, Jonathan Haidt and others sign open letter for phone-free schools
Leading national organizations and experts — including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, New York State United Teachers, Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation,” and Sherry Turkle — have signed an open letter from the nonprofits Fairplay and the Phone-Free Schools Movement calling for phone-free schools now.
“Every child deserves a learning environment that supports healthy development and academic success,” says the letter. “That is why, as organizations and experts working toward the well-being of young people, we are coming together to call on all schools to enact a robust, ‘bell-to-bell’ phone-free school policy.”
The letter is signed in total by over 40 organizations including Fairplay, Phone-Free Schools Movement, the American Federation of Teachers, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Common Sense Media, the National Education Association and New York State United Teachers. Another 30 individual experts and advocates signed their names, including Jonathan Haidt, Sherry Turkle, Richard Freed, Shimi Kang, Faith Boninger and Gaia Bernstein.
The letter arrives as Fairplay and the Phone-Free Schools Movement launch a Phone-Free Schools Advocacy Week, where parents, educators and ordinary community members will take action to call for phone-free schools in their local areas.
Elected officials at the state and local level have also begun to introduce strong phone-free school policies, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to ensure distraction-free learning in schools.
Open letter
The open letter points out the many dangers that phones pose to students. According to the letter:
- 97% of students use their phones in school.
- Teenagers receive a median of over 60 notifications during school hours.
- Two-thirds of US students say they get distracted by using a digital device in class. 54% say they were distracted by other students using their devices.
- Studies also now indicate that the mere presence of one’s smartphone reduces a person’s ability to focus.
The letter notes that phones are not just a problem in the classroom, but in hallways and cafeterias, too, where they distract students from healthy face-to-face interaction and socialization.
In addition, phones are a threat to student safety, as they are used to plan fights and distract students during emergencies.
Getting phones out of schools
But while the problem is clear, says the letter, “so too is the solution: Remove phones from schools.”
“Real-world examples already show what a difference this makes,” the letter adds. “Students not using their phones in class write down 62% more information. A study from a research institute in Norway noted that bullying dropped steeply, down 46% for girls and 43% for boys, after smartphone bans were enacted.”
The letter adds that to provide maximum benefit to students and teachers, the phone-free policy must ban not just smartphones but all personal electronic devices.
In addition, the policy should be “bell-to-bell,” meaning that it’s in effect from the first bell in the morning to the last bell in the afternoon, promoting engagement in the classroom as well as in hallways, lunchrooms and other common areas.
Quotes from letter signers
New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person said: “NYSUT has hosted panels of parents, teachers, students, healthcare and safety professionals in every region of New York to discuss distraction-free learning. Across the board, they report that bell-to-bell policies work best because students are freed to focus the entire day rather than counting down minutes in each class for a few moments of screen time during passing periods. Experts say this is how to best support students’ learning and mental health, and we can’t compromise when it comes to our kids.”
Technology, Privacy and Policy Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of Law and author of “Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technology” Gaia Bernstein said: “Banning phones from school is essential not just to allow kids to concentrate on their studies but also to develop their social skills. Kids walking down the hall or sitting in the cafeteria staring at their phones do not learn how to interact in person. They then prefer to go home and stay in their bedrooms alone messaging on social media instead of hanging out with friends. Schools are the place where social norms can be created and changed in the most effective way.”
Fairplay Campaign Director David Monahan said: “The momentum for phone-free schools is rising by the minute. This letter shows that the top national organizations and experts agree that a robust bell-to-bell phone-free schools policy is an absolute necessity for students and educators. Now it’s time for school and government officials to listen and take action to give our communities the phone-free learning spaces they deserve.”
Phone-Free Schools Movement Co-Founder Mileva Repasky said: “This letter from leading organizations and experts arrives as people across the US and Canada will be taking part in our Phone-Free Schools Advocacy Week. We’ve already had 225 people sign up, and we look forward to progressing the momentum for phone-free schools. Getting phones out of schools is a problem that we can solve, and this week of advocacy will help us get there.”