Yes, Tri-Cities schools are doing the right thing to bar phones in class | Editorial

Three Richland schools are the most recent in Tri-Cities to limit when and where students can use cellphones during school hours.

They will suffer the ire of students glued to digital lives, but they must persevere. The public is behind them because cellphone limits are good for education and good for youth mental health.

Richland School District’s policies at Hanford and Richland high schools and at Enterprise and Carmichael middle schools represent a thoughtful approach to curbing cellphone distractions while accommodating student needs.

At the high schools, students may use their phones only between classes and before or after school. That allows some access but keeps instructional time free from distraction.

And middle school policy of “away for the day” requires students to keep phones off and stored in backpacks the entire school day.

Richland is following a growing local, state and national trend. Kennewick and Pasco schools already restrict smartphone use on campus. State Superintendent of Public Education Chris Reykdal recently called on schools statewide to do the same.

“I am challenging all Washington school districts to engage their communities over the next year with a goal to reduce distractions during instructional time and determine a path for restricting cellphone and smart device use in class by the start of the 2025–26 school year,” Reykdal said.

Parents are critical partners in this endeavor and their kids’ educational success. When students come home complaining about the new rules, parents should support them and help students understand why phones don’t belong in classrooms.

A 2022 Pew Research Study found that almost all American youths aged 13-17 have a smartphone. We doubt that has changed much in the past two years.

Those teens use their phones a lot. They spent more than eight hours per day of screen time watching videos, playing video games, browsing websites, engaging in social media and pursuing other entertainment.

Rapid-fire messaging and surreptitious glances at the screen in the classroom are disruptive. That’s why the vast majority of educators supported curbs on phone use in schools per a National Education Association survey this year.

Richland’s policies aim to create an environment in which students can engage more fully with their education. Research on the impacts of cellphones in classrooms shows that removing them can lead to improved concentration, higher academic performance and better mental health outcomes.

That last part is critical.

Researchers have linked social media and constant connectivity to increased rates of anxiety, depression, bullying and other mental health issues among young people. Schools can help mitigate those negative effects and provide students with a much-needed break from the pressures of online life.

Removing screens from the equation also promotes face-to-face interactions that are essential for social development among young people. Schools are teaching students the importance of balance and self-regulation in their digital lives. Those skills will serve them well into adulthood.

Many students who struggle to put their phones down certainly will protest.

They’ll even raise the valid argument that phones and other electronic devices can be valuable learning tools and necessary means of communications between students and their families.

Fair enough. That’s why most school policies allow exceptions for emergencies and if teachers want to incorporate technology into lesson plans.

Some teachers won’t like it either. When they find their fingers itching to check their text messages or social media posts, they must resist the urge and set an example for students.

Local school phone policies represent a significant step forward in creating a healthier, more-focused learning environment for students.

These programs can serve as a model of schools throughout Washington that take up the state superintendent’s challenge.

Ultimately it’s up to parents to put reasonable restrictions on what their kids do online, but cutting back on screen time during the school day can only help.

This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.