I don’t often get to see my family. So, we all had a lot of fun working on this video together.
Credits:
Voiceover – My mom
Skipper – Ryan (My Daughter)
Ken – My Dad
Lizzo (Voice Changer) – I may have had 2 pay $2 for the voice changer, but at least it sounded better than my singing! Ha Ha!
This has certainly been the best class I have had during my master’s degress so far. Thank you all and Katia for the fun!
(Chat-GPT, 2024)
This is how I see today’s debate. I have worked at a school with an outright ban on cell phones and a school that welcomes them with open arms. 2024 was a challenging year for my community and cell phone usage. Three grade 12 students were caught using cell phones on campus to film in the female washroom spaces. It was terrifying for me as a woman, teacher, and mother on campus to think that my students, my daughter, or even myself could have been filmed. However, even though it was a traumatic year dealing with feelings of failure as a teacher and attempting to assist students with their complex feelings around the issue, I still believe that cell phones shouldn’t be banned in schools.
This video makes an interesting claim about separation and performance. In my classroom experience, losing the phone often causes my learners anxiety. It leaves them unable to concentrate in class. They worried about the outcome of their phones: Would they talk to the principal before they could have it? Would their parents be contacted? Would they lose the phone altogether? Having an outright ban in the classroom doesn’t curb these questions because students will continue to bring their devices into the school regardless. When we prohibit something, we build tunnels under Moose Jaw to gain access to it or at least hide it somewhere in school. When my previous school banned technology, students downloaded WeChat, China’s number one chat app, on their laptops. It didn’t matter which device it was on; they would find a way to use it.
Photo from Pinterest
This is why policy is essential. Just like citizens of a country follow government policy, or we teachers follow school policy, students must learn how to navigate the world through policies mandated by a particular environment. Do workplaces outright ban cell phones when workers take a break or respond to family? No, they don’t. Workers understand, for the most part, that cell phones perhaps can’t be used on the “floor,” but this depends on a particular space’s policies. Even the research on the KSL News video shared by the affirmative side of the debate indicates that school bans aren’t the answer. Students come to learn not only curriculum but also life skills. Isn’t it important to teach them how to follow policy and what consequences are in place if they don’t? Schools are meant to be a safe zone to make mistakes that could prove costly in public. Using cell phone policy in class, either school-wide or teacher-directed, is an excellent step toward helping our learners use their phones responsibly.
“Some educators and parents also argue teenagers need to learn to use phones responsibly” (Randazzo & Barnum, 2024).
Teachers and parents serve as role models for cell phone use. How many of us can say that we use the phone appropriately all the time? Most of us certainly don’t, myself
(StableDiffusionXL, 2024)
included. That is why I now take mindful steps when using my phone around my students and my daughter. Gone are the days when I played on it during supper after I noticed that my daughter wanted to watch the Tablet while eating because her dad and I were on our phones. Gone are the days when I might silently send a text during class; I now loudly announce to my students when I am going to use my phone and why, just as I expect them to do so during class. Gone are the days of toileting scrolling. After the incident I mentioned before, the school implemented a new policy of phones having to stay in the class when students or teachers go to the bathroom. I try to make an effort to do the same at home. If we want to see change, we have to change.
Social Media isn’t ruining childhood; it simply contributes to some of the negative (or positive) experiences children face. Just as people were scared of the new type of lightbulb when it was invented, society fears Social Media. I tried to keep an open mind
(StableDiffusionXL, 2024)
during my classmates’ debates. Still, as someone who found solace in Social Media as a child, I can’t find common ground with those who say it is ruining childhood. I ended up watching The Social Dilemma, and while it was heavily swayed in favour of Social Media is a negative, one comment made near the beginning was that “There’s no one bad guy.” Many ills in the world contribute to the trauma of our youth, as our debaters mentioned many times. All of these factors add to the ruin of childhood. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be around today if it weren’t for Social Media and all the people who helped me deal with the trauma of my childhood. School and the people in them were what ruined my childhood and that of many others. Did I find bullies online? Sure! But, I found the emotional pain inflicted by my real-life bullies far outweighed those online. Candice Odgers, on Open to Debate, further supports the point that Social Media has little bearing on the mental health of children – “Social Media use does not predict mental health problems.” There are a plethora of issues that contribute to the mental health of our youth; Social Media may only be a small portion of that. Like me, children use online media to seek help and converse.
Living abroad offers me a different perspective on Social Media and online
(StableDiffusionXL, 2024)
communications. While some may argue that communication platforms do not constitute Social Media, they often involve sharing parts of life. My everyday go-to, WeChat, uses Moments, and WhatsApp has picture-based statuses that can be saved for others to view. This medium is essential for connecting my learners to their old friends and family in their home countries and friends who leave and change to new schools in new countries. We also use Social Media to collaborate with other IB schools worldwide (and teachers) to improve our practice to reach our personal bests.
The Social Dilemma mentions technology addiction, an issue with Social Media. It can be addictive in the same way slamming back bags of chips and energy drinks can be. This is where adults in our lives need to step in and teach moderation. Children will parrot what others are doing and need to see healthy habits/balance to thrive in tech 
spaces or healthy diets. The documentary further talks about the art of manipulation being at the center of controlling this addiction. However, as someone who gave a lecture about rhetoric in a previous Ed course, I know this is the route we take in all parts of life to get what we want, aside from being online. Manipulation has been around since the existence of communication. We cannot solely hate Social Media for manipulative practices when everything and everyone does the same. Social Media is indeed a drug, as The Social Dilemma states. Still, just with all other drugs, we choose to use it and may need help to control the usage or to stop using it. Parents and teachers are the ones who can help when they see children getting addicted, but it means tuning in more to our learners and children. I can see my daughter developing some addictions, but do I think that is ruining her childhood? No, I don’t.
In thinking positively about Social Media, I consider all of the short-form doses of learning that have helped me improve small areas in life that also reach children. As an older adult, I think of Sidney Raz’s short series “Things I Wish I Knew in my Thirties,” which teaches me simple tips and tricks. I have been using so many simple tools all my life that he educates me on as a fellow person in their thirties. Children have access to
(StableDiffusionXL, 2024)
all kinds of information as well. This American Academy of Pediatrics article speaks to the enhanced education students can receive from online communication tools. My daughter follows some Minecraft users online who have taught her all about rocks and minerals in English. Her second language is expanded daily thanks to her online access (and Bluey). The Caloia (2022) article focuses on Gen Z struggling with focus and attention. Still, it offers solutions like disengaging from Social Media to focus on routine. Places like Social Media help students note that they may have different attention spans than others and things they can do to help. Unplugging from Social Media will not somehow get me nor my daughter to make the bed in the morning.