I forgot my Phone……STOP the Car!!!
Thanks to Kritika and Maherun & Sadi for debating this HOT topic. Have you ever realized you left your cell phone at home and you get that sudden jolt of panic like you just walked out of your house without your pants on……It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing, everything STOPS until that phone is safely back in your hand. It’s your GPS, your calendar, your camera, your bank, your connection to the world. Now imagine spending an entire day without it, that is how are children are feeling in most of our provinces in Canada. The Saskatchewan provincial government is now stepping in, putting policies in place to limit or outright ban cell phones in K–12 classrooms. schools are They are starting to clamp down on phone use, saying it’s doing more harm than good. Attention spans are being affected along with their mental health. Check out this CBC video that dives into the mixed reviews on phones in the classroom!
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (February 2025) article that was shared in class it states, “More than half of public school leaders (53 percent) feel that their students’ academic performance has been negatively impacted by cell phone usage. More than two-thirds feel cell phones have had a negative impact on their students’ mental health (72 percent) and attention span (73 percent). Overall, 52 percent of public school leaders feel that their students have been negatively impacted in these three areas, while 9 percent feel students have been positively impacted in these three areas. So what does this mean? The majority of teachers feel that cell phones in the classroom are BAD. However, I do think that teachers should have the discretion to decide. This article stated, “12 percent have a cell phone policy that allows teachers to decide whether students can have their cell phones during class”. I feel this is too low!!! I am not a classroom teacher, but why can’t teachers make the decision about what is going to work and not work within their OWN classroom? I understand that it depends on the age of the students and their abilities to self-regulate their use. However, in my teaching life, our students in clinical NEED to have their cell phones with them. Why do you ask? It’s because we have this wonderful app called Nursing Central. This tool gives my students all the resources they need: drug guides, diseases and disorders, a medical dictionary, and lab and diagnostic tests. Therefore, at the end of this debate, where do I stand? I think cell phones should be allowed within the classroom, but it needs to be at the discretion of the teacher in the right context, age and maturity level. They need to be used for the right purpose. Until next time…. Have a great weekend and enjoy the Riders game against BC tomorrow if your a fan:)
Edited using chatGPT and Grammarly
Hi Jillian,
Thanks for your thoughtful post! I never really stopped to think how detaching kids from their phones all day is affecting them. I appreciate that you put that into perspective for me! I definitely would not be able to focus if I forgot my phone at home! Whether we like it or not, most kids have phones and, like most adults, they use them all the time. I wonder if that is the cause of some of the anxiety among students?
The comment that you made about allowing teachers to have the autonomy to make the decision for their own classroom caused me to pause. On one side, I agree that teachers should be able to decide what works for them. On the other hand, as a specialist who travels from classroom to classroom, I find it difficult to enforce different rules in every classroom.
There is no simple answer here but I thank you again for giving me pause and to rethink how I feel about cell phones in the classroom.
Yes Carol… I wonder if some anxiety is caused by the students feeling detached all day? I know that my almost 13 year old daughter comes home at lunch and is straight to her phone over lunch. I really wouldn’t allow it at first, however its the way she communicates with her friends as many of them don’t go to the same school. So at lunch she often makes weekend plans or afterschool plans with her friends. So, now I allow it. As I cant imagine not texting my friends or husband throughout the day.
Love the response, Jill! The stats from the article are definitely eye-opening, and I get why so many school leaders are concerned. Phones can be a huge distraction and have a real impact on focus and mental health. But like you said, it really depends on the context.
Your example about using Nursing Central is a perfect case of phones being a super valuable learning tool. In situations like that, it’s not about playing games or scrolling TikTok it’s about having instant access to important, real-world info. That kind of tech should be accepted, not banned.
I also totally agree that only 12% of schools giving teachers the freedom to decide feels way too low. Teachers know their students best and should have the flexibility to do what works for their own classroom. Of course, it depends on the age and the students’ ability to manage their phone use, but that’s exactly why teacher discretion is so important.
Thanks for the great read, friend! And yes, Go Riders!!
Yes! when my students use their phones in clinical for nursing central I just have them say to the staff or myself “I am going to be on phone for a while using nursing central doing research”. This way I know what they are doing and they don’t give the perception that they are on their phones during clinical. You would be surprised at how many Dr now are on their phones for drug dosing ect. It is really not looked as a negative in the hospital as long its its being used for the right reasons.
Hi Jillian,
Thank you for a well-written post with a very accurate description of what it is like to leave your phone somewhere. Nowadays, we have such a reliance on them for our communication needs. Although I agree that cell phone usage should be up to each classroom teacher, sometimes even that has its drawbacks. Teachers are really good at discerning what does and does not work for them, and cell phone policies are no different. However, I have worked in schools where cell phone usage was up to the teacher, and the teachers who did not allow cell phone usage experienced pushback from students. They would constantly get compared to other teachers who did allow usage, and some teachers I used to work with said that it almost seemed like some students chose poor behaviour more because they wanted to push against the teacher’s rules. One benefit to schoolwide policies is a unified front among educators. But that is only one side of the story, and I do agree that students in higher education benefit more from the use of cell phones! If you had to decide, what age do you think it is appropriate to start introducing cell phone use in the classroom?
All the best,
Daegan
Great point Daegan! I could totally see how the teachers would be negatively impacted if they didn’t allow it in their classroom but another classroom did. However, my point is really that teachers should be allowed to choose what teaching tools and or learning resources will work in their classrooms and this might include cell phone use for apps/games/ resources. People might disagree but I think that by the time your in high school you should be allowed. Definitely by age 16. BUT within reason. Not allowed on the desks and must be on silent and in bags. I say this because many kids at this age have jobs and responsibilities and I DO think they should be allowed to check on things like that during the day but again….. within reason!!!!
Your post made me laugh. 🙂 It’s so true though- that moment of panic when you realize you’ve forgotten your phone! I’ve been there too (so much more now as a parent than ever before- thank gosh for the “dinger” on my watch lol). It’s wild how much we’ve come to rely on our devices, not just for communication, but for everything from directions to entertainment to even feeling “secure” in our day.
I also reflected on how this constant connection spills into our classrooms, too. While I used to feel confident managing devices in my space with clear expectations, the recent phone ban here in Saskatchewan has shifted everything. Students are still glued to their phones- just now in sneakier ways. It’s a reminder of how deeply embedded technology has become in our routines and identities.
I really appreciated how you ended your post with a call for more intentionality. I agree- we need to pause, reflect, and sometimes just leave the phone behind- this is actually one of my favourite parts of travelling- I love “going off the grid and disconnecting from the world!
Thanks for sharing!
Great post, Jillian!
I totally agree with you that, at the end of the day, it should be up to the teacher’s discretion. I also think that it would be extremely valuable for teachers to get some more professional development in how they can teach students about responsible and healthy use of smartphones.
I think that when something new comes out, our initial reaction is panic, and we always jump to the worst conclusioins… but we need to think long-term here and figure out how we can teach in a world with smartphones, because they aren’t going anywhere!