This year at Oxford High School, students have noticed an increased number of classrooms participating in a cell phone free classroom. A lock box was placed in each classroom for the teachers to collect phones at the beginning of class at their discretion.

Cell phones are known to be a very addicting device for all people, but studies show teenagers are most susceptible to this addiction. Nearly 97 percent of students use their phone during the school day for around 43 minutes a day, according to a recent study by Education Week. This means that on average students are on their phones for around 10 percent of their school day. With this data it is understandable why the School Administrators asked teachers to use the phone lock boxes during class time.

Some OHS students have expressed that they feel they should be able to have their phone with
them to get in touch with their parents as needed. Whether a student simply forgot something at home and need someone to bring it to them at school, or a student misses an important message, cell phones play a significant role in student’s lives every day.

The increase in classrooms enforcing a no cell phone policy has introduced students to a new way of learning. Students are feeling more focused but are also apprehensive about how this will affect their future. Whether students feel that not having phones in class is beneficial or not, student’s seem to have a strong opinion one way or another.

Phones can be a great resource in schools for get- ting in contact with people and learning how to use them responsibly in the real world. However, electronics can also be one of the biggest distractions that high school students encounter. Many teens across America are attached to their electronic device because social media and games release dopamine which is a hormone that our brain produces that makes you want more of something and it makes you feel happy, this hormone is also known as the “feel-good” hormone. According to a study performed by Education Week, one in every two adolescents face a chronic addiction to an electronic device.

Forcing phone lock boxes in all classrooms is excessive. The reason being is that this policy does not prepare students for college or for the future, because when a student gets out in the real world they will not show up to work or college and have a locked box to put their phone in. Not having phones at school can make it more tempting for students to want to be on them when they get home. This can result in not studying or getting homework done because now students do not know how to be productive with a device next to them.

If students do not learn how to complete assignments with their device close by they will not know how to in the future.
While not having phones in students’ reach can help with better focus, learning how to be productive in school and work will help students far more in the long run.