This is Part 2 of a series on phones at school.
In my previous post on the topic of phones in schools, I wondered why we haven't already helped kids avoid distraction by putting smartphone bans in place at all schools. UNESCO has recommended that this be done worldwide 1and there are a large number of studies demonstrating why this is important.2,3
In researching the answer to this question, I found out that while some states have put legislation in place allowing school districts to enact smartphone bans at school, there are parents who are against this—and some have even sued school districts.4
Coincidentally, today I received a notification from Delaney Ruston, M.D., who writes the blog Screenagers on just this topic.5
She writes that one reason some parents do not like the idea of kids not having their phones with them during the school day is that the parents think it is safer for them to have their phones in case of a school emergency. They want their children to be able to contact them.
Ruston has called for a national survey on this question, but in the meantime, before such a........