Could you imagine running one lap every twelve minutes? Or stopping a conversation with a friend to write a paragraph? Based on information from Cross River Therapy, the average person stops what they are doing and checks his/her phone every twelve minutes, or approximately eighty times a day. With new technology on the rise catering to all audiences there has been clear reliance on smartphones for all age groups. Almost everywhere you look, someone is scrolling through a screen. This has become especially common in schools.
Freshman Paola Andino thinks phones are a common distraction in her classes. She said, “Everyday, someone is told to put their phone away once or twice per class.” She believes phones can be a common addiction because of the constant entertainment that comes from them. Paola says her phone is only a distraction to her occasionally, and when this happens she tries to take a moment to focus and stay in her own mind.
Olivia Medvick is in seventh grade and says she and her grade can be addicted to their phones at times. Olivia believes so many are constantly on their phones because of FOMO (the fear of missing out. “When I feel that my phone is distracting me from school work, I put it somewhere I can’t see it. Then when I’m done with the assignment I see my phone as an award,” she added.
Music teacher, Mr. Antonucci, has been teaching for 30 years. During his career, he noticed phones becoming a problem beginning around 2017-2018. In his classes, phones are required to be put in a student’s pocket or under their seat. Mr .A believes that even if someone isn’t physically on their device, things like notifications get inside our heads and make us not present in real time.
Mrs. Havrilla is a teacher for 5th and 6th grade. The policy in these grades is that phones are required to be turned off and in a bookbag for the day. Mrs. Havrilla has been teaching for 25 years and noticed a problem with phones when students started receiving them earlier and earlier. “Most families would not purchase a phone for a child until they were in at least 7th grade or beyond.” She believes that students have problems with getting off their phones because of the variety of entertainment and how connected to others technology makes us feel.
Mrs. Ignazio has been teaching grades 7-12 at LHS for 34 years and teaches 7th through 12th grade. She says that problems with technology arose after the pandemic. The general rule for her classroom is that all students put their phones in a caddy. Mrs. Ignazio said when this rule is followed, “the chances of students paying attention, receiving all of the information/directions, and engaging in learning increases.” Being the business/technology teacher, she teaches good internet behavior and citizenship through assignments in class. She tells students about digital footprint, being mindful about what they publicly share, and scams. She believes that there’s many factors that lead to digital addiction, such as engagement, instant gratification, fear of missing out, and social validation.
Right now each teacher has their own phone policy, but this will change after winter break. Mrs. Parry said that managing phone issues is on top of teachers’ other responsibilities, so the district came together to organize new policies and rules. Starting in January, the only period students will be allowed to have their phones is during lunch. In classes and study halls phones will go into a designated holder.
When asked her personal opinion about phone addiction Mrs.Parry said that in her 26 years working in education she’s noticed how phones became a problem as soon as they were allowed in schools. While she sees the benefits of technology, she believes students need to be taught to use it responsibly because content is often designed to be addictive.
