Banning phones in schools is helpful for kids but it may not be enough. The first study of its kind in the world out of the UK shows that cell phone bans in schools are not linked to kids getting higher grades or having better mental health.
Dr. Victoria Goodyear, the study’s lead author at the University of Birmingham, told the British Broadcasting Company that the research findings suggest the focus now needs to be on reducing how much time kids spend on their phones outside of school.
The university’s findings compared 1,227 students and the rules that their 30 different middle schools had for smartphone use during breaks and lunch. The schools were chosen from a sample of 1,341 mainstream state schools in England.
Banning Phones in Schools Not Enough
The research shows that schools restricting smartphone use did not see improvements in health, wellbeing and focus. Instead, research found worse mental health, less physical activity, poorer sleep, lower grades and more disruptive classroom behavior.
The study — published on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Lancet Regional Health Europe — used the internationally recognized Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales to determine student wellbeing.
Here in the the U.S., eight states have banned cell phones in schools. In Tennessee, lawmakers have introduced bills to restrict cell phone use in schools although many schools have already implemented their own policies.
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