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Indiana Mobile Device Law - Students' Perspectives

Indiana Mobile Device Law - Students' Perspectives

On July 1, Indiana Senate Bill 185 went into effect. This Bill required all Indiana school corporations and charter schools to adopt and implement wireless communication device policies to govern student use of devices. We asked Avon High School educators and students for their opinions about the new policies.

Educators' Perspective

by Jaidyn Bills

I got a front row seat to the effects of Senate Bill 185, the law prohibiting mobile phone usage in Indiana classrooms. My name is Jaidyn Bills and I am a senior at Avon High School. I have been able to weigh the pros and cons to the law. To be clear, I don’t think the phone ban is necessarily a bad thing. But my verdict is the law should have ultimately been unnecessary.

I do see some of the direct benefits of the law in effect. I would say that I have seen an increase in socialization between my peers. It has been easier for me to focus on academics. I would say the law has been a source of motivation by elimination. A student can only sit there twiddling their thumbs for so long before they get so bored they have to do their classwork. In other words, students may now be more inclined to do their school work simply because they have fewer options for time wasting. Limited screen time encourages students to do their work and turn it in by the deadline.

While the law has had benefits, it also has some downsides. For example, if a student wants to be on their phone or device, they will find ways to be on their phone. A side effect of the legislation is that it may encourage sneaky behaviors like misuse of bathroom passes and hiding phones behind computers or books. No matter how hard lawmakers and school administrators work, there will always be students who will improvise.

No matter how hard lawmakers and school administrators work, there will always be students who will improvise. Bills

I feel teachers should have the authority to allow or prohibit phones in their classrooms and to hand out consequences if their rules are not followed. Similarly, students should have the individual choice to get on their phones or not; and if they so choose, they should be prepared for the consequences of potentially missing valuable academic content or simply getting in trouble. Not all phone time is just scrolling on social media, and having a phone in class can actually be valuable. Phones can be used to complete tasks or even help students focus better by listening to music while working on individual projects.

Prior to the ban, I used my phone constructively. I have used it to contact a parent if I left something at home, to participate in group activities, to take notes, to take photos of class reminders, and more. While the argument might be made that I could have found alternative methods for these tasks or that they could have waited, utilizing a phone as a resource rather than a distraction can be extremely valuable and even save class time. By the time students reach high school, they should be held responsible for their own learning. If students would rather be unfocused, that is a direct reflection of their own character. It is not a reflection of other students who are able to use their devices more constructively, and it is certainly not something that should have required Senate Bill 185.

By the time students reach high school, they should be held responsible for their own learning. Bills

I spoke with some others in my school and they had a similar general consensus of the effects of the law. Here is what several of them said.

“Last year we talked up our school for being a blue ribbon school. That means we are staying focused and improving our overall grades. If phones were such an issue, wouldn’t we be showing signs of that?”

“With the new law, students are actually engaging and talking with each other in class. Before, they would sit on their phones whenever they had the chance. It is overall helping students exceed in their social lives let alone their academic lives. On the flip side, sitting in classes that are individual-project-based like art classes, it is nice to listen to music or have a YouTube video playing in the background as you work.”

“I personally do not agree with this new phone law. It's unnecessary and needs to be taken away. Students still get on their phones so it is ineffective.”

“The phone law oversteps and restricts more than just the issue. If someone is truly addicted to their phone this law means nothing and people will and have found other ways to sneak around and do the things they could be doing with their phones. This law is basically a poor quality bandage covering a larger issue with social media and addiction (the kind of bandage that falls off after a day).”

“I think it's not beneficial because it's important for students to learn when and where to use their phones. Students need to learn how to have their phones next to them and NOT be tempted to scroll. It's important to build healthy habits with phone usage and eliminating it entirely is not going to make that happen.”

“I believe that the new phone law can bring benefits to the table because it will help many students focus more in school and not have as many distractions. Students won’t be as tempted to give up on their schoolwork during class so they can be on their phones.”

Ultimately, I do not think the law is a bad thing because it does minimize phone distractions and encourage greater student interaction. I do, however, believe that cell phones can be valuable in the classroom under certain circumstances. A law restricting device usage won’t stop students from using them, even if it means they have to get creative to do so. I think “no phones ever” is excessive and there are situations when having a phone could be valuable.

I simply think it should be up to individual choice and responsibility and that there are bigger issues for the state legislature to tackle than cell phone usage in schools.

 

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