Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) rightfully issued an executive order on Tuesday that will direct schools to adopt cellphone-free policies. The admirable decision will enhance the classroom experience and protect young students from the adverse health effects of phone and social media usage.
Youngkin’s proposal isn’t the first of its kind, but it’s still certainly ahead of the curve. New York City is also looking to implement a cellphone ban in schools while the city of Los Angeles approved one last month.
The order is timely given that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress a few weeks ago to include a warning label on social media platforms that would inform parents of the negative effects associated with the technology. Social media and cellphone usage go hand in hand. A 2023 Common Sense Media study found that 97% of teenage and pre-teenage respondents used their phones during the school day, primarily for social media, gaming, and YouTube.
This almost ubiquitous usage is disturbing given the plethora of data that proves how unhealthy social media is for young people. Murthy wrote in his op-ed that “adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms.” As of summer 2023, the average daily usage in this age group was almost five hours. Nearly half of all adolescents also report that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
Though not directly tied to educational outcomes, these unfortunate statistics regarding mental health inherently affect the classroom experience. Studies have shown that depression is associated with lower GPAs and linked to students dropping out of school. The increased risk of anxiety and depression that stems from social media usage clearly manifests itself in the classroom.
That’s not to mention the basic notion that time spent on the phone is time that’s not spent learning. Paying attention to the teacher and scrolling through Instagram are mutually exclusive.
Youngkin’s proposal pushes back on the commonly held belief that social media is somehow beneficial for young people. A 2020 study from Common Sense Media found that 6 in 10 parents believe their child spends “the right amount of time” with screens, and 75% are “satisfied with the amount and quality of the educational media available to their children.”
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There are many theoretical benefits to cellphone usage and media consumption, but that’s really all they are: theoretical. Yes, young people who use technology can access educational material and benefit from having unlimited knowledge at their fingertips. This is a highly idealistic perspective, however. Students aren’t using their phones to watch TED Talks, they’re using them to scroll through TikTok.
Banning cellphones in schools will have a positive effect on young students’ mental health and educational experiences. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but Youngkin’s executive order is a step in the right direction. We should hope it encourages more states to follow suit.