NEW YORK, Aug 28 (Bernama-Xinhua) — As students return to school, many US states and districts are instituting strict cellphone restrictions and bans, reported Xinhua quoting a media report.
This move comes in response to growing evidence of the negative effects that constant internet connectivity has on teenagers’ mental health, according to The Washington Post.
In Los Angeles, the second-largest district in the country, the school board voted in June to ban cellphone use. In Clark County, Nevada, the district will require students in middle and high schools to store phones in pouches during the day, starting this fall, according to the report.
Several states, including Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida, have enacted legislation limiting cellphone access during the school year. And governors in at least three other states, including Virginia, have called on schools to restrict or ban the devices. Other states have provided funding to support restrictive policies.
Of the nation’s 20 largest school districts, at least 7 forbid the use of cellphones during the school day or plan to do so, while at least another 7 impose significant restrictions, such as barring use during class time but permitting phones during lunch or when students are between classes, said the report.
“Pressure on school leaders has come from teachers and parents who see cellphones as a distraction, an impediment to learning and a constant toll on students’ mental health,” it noted.
–BERNAMA-XINHUA