Will phones become Illegal?
Cell phone usage in schools will allegedly become illegal in South Carolina school districts next year. New laws are coming into action in January 2025 banning cell phones from being used during the school day. The South Carolina Board of Education voted to approve this law for all school districts in South Carolina. Many students and teachers are concerned about this law for safety and educational reasons.
We Asked You
CSPNEagles.com staff wanted to hear from the students, so we sent out a poll asking people what they think is the best way to address this issue. The results came in; over a hundred people answered and wrote their opinions. Students and teachers agreed that we should have our phones for safety reasons, but enforce a more proficient and strict policy for when students have their phones out. However, many students in the poll said they wanted their phones to communicate with their families and friends in case of an emergency.
Mrs. Wood, an English teacher, explains her concern and understanding of these laws by saying, “I don’t think an outright ban is necessary I think that students, if they had more discipline with their phones, it wouldn’t be an issue. But because they don’t, it is becoming an issue.”
“I do not like it because I like being able to text who I need to text and sometimes (cell phones) helps as a studying tool,” said senior Tanner Short.
Junior Maddy Touchberry said the cell phone policy seems to depend on the teacher. “Some teachers had a no phone policy before the law came into place, so that means no matter what they will most likely keep phones for the rest of the year. While in contrast, some teachers have already given us phone privileges for when we are done with our work. But overall I think that phone policies will loosen by the end of second semester.”
Some students had concerns about where cell phones should be stored, whether they will be placed with other phones where they could be stolen or if students would be allowed to keep them in their book bags.
“I think that phones should be stored in the students’ book bags, or at most in the front of the classroom where you can see them,” said Kaelynn Foster, a junior.
“In compartments, it doesn’t really matter as long as each phone has their each individual space and are not stacked on top of each other,” said Sarah Hogan, a junior.
“I do not trust others with my phone. I’m worried it may get lost or others will steal it,’ said Dominic Terenzi, a freshman. He pointed out that teachers using a cell phone holder could allow anyone to take someone else’s phone.
Some students said that the cell phone policy may impact their safety.
“I think we should still be able to access it. If we have an emergency I may need to contact my parents and let them know what is going on” said Jessup Boulware, junior.
“It’s a nightmare. I can’t be positive that my parents will be contacted in case of an emergency,” said Katelyn Crowell, freshman.
Some students feel that they are responsible enough to keep track of their own cell phone usage without the school stepping in to assist.
“I think I am responsible. I put it away…and use it when I’m allowed to,” said Dominic Terenzi.
“If you’re a legal adult it shouldn’t matter that much. If you are like a 5 year old then yeah it’d make sense because you’re five and need to focus on your alphabet. If you’re a legal adult then you could need to call your work or something and it could end up being a safety issue,” said Emilia McGaughey, senior.
Some students expressed concerns about the overall benefits of using a cell phone at all. While the initial aim at removing the cell phones from schools is to provide students a “free zone.”
Junior Sarai Sorrels said she doesn’t think that her mental health would be improved without using a cell phone. ”I think it will hurt my mental health because I will not know about what’s going on in the outside life.”
Freshman Michael Garcia said that overall the benefits of cell phones–socially connecting to friends, potential study aid, listening to music to relax– outweigh the negative aspects of cell phone use.
“Having your phone in school is good for emergencies and connecting with your classmates can also help with making friends, although phones can sometimes be a hassle, they are in my opinion more beneficial than disadvantageous,” said Garcia.
How Technology Shapes Our World
Can you imagine if one day all technology vanished, a world where the way you communicate is abruptly cut off? We dived deeper into the thoughts behind these bans by researching the positive and negative effects of technology today. Since phones were introduced, the structure of our brains has been permanently changed, our attention span has been lessened, and most of all we are away from the real world because we live our lives in a technological one. Although technology also helps us learn. For instance, we use our phones for pictures and interviews in journalism because walking around with a computer or Chromebook would require more work. In short, we’ll leave it up to you to decide. Should phones be made illegal?
Contributing to this report: Calli Bohannon, Annabelle Heape, Payton Huyck, Peyton Lewis, Michelle Marchese, Molly McBroom, Logan McGuire, La’Nia Moody, Victoria Pou, Presley Short, Benjamin Stevens, Culley Taylor