SALT LAKE CITY — Now that it’s been a few months since Granite School District implemented a cellphone ban in the classroom, it’s time for a status check. How is it working so far?
Jessica Mertlich, a licensed clinical social worker for the Granite School District, said it seems to be going well.
“I think you can see a pretty great correlation between the reduction [of phone use] during the school day and the increase in both academic achievement, but also social interactions.”
According to Granite School District’s cellphone policy, elementary and junior high students cannot have their personal devices out during school hours. For high school students, they can’t be out during instructional time.
Because it hasn’t been long since the ban took effect, there are still several questions that need to be addressed.
For example, who will be responsible for implementing consequences for students caught on their phones? What will those consequences be?
Despite this, Mertlich said she hopes to see an increase in peer-to-peer interactions.
“We really forget to appreciate the micro-interactions. Those little day-to-day interactions,” she said. “And imagine if you aren’t able to hold your phone as you’re walking down the hallway, maybe you’re going to smile at someone… Maybe you’re going to have a two-minute conversation. That’s going to perk you up before you have to go back into class, right?”
Tips for healthy cellphone use
Mertlich’s number one tip for guiding kids to use their phones in a healthy manner is to be aware and present.
“I think we forget that here we are, telling our kids, ‘Put your phone away’ while our eyeballs are on [our phone] for the majority of the day, and honestly because a lot of our work and a lot of our day-to-day requirements now have kind of shifted to that phone.”
Mertlich said it’s also important to have healthy conversations with the kids.
One way families can practice this is by keeping phones and all other electronic devices away from the dinner table.
