WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Cell phones have officially been banned in classrooms during this legislative session, and all public schools have their own rules on what to do with the phones, like lockers or pouches.
While some school districts have funding for pouches for their students, most school districts we spoke with adopt their own rules and disciplinary actions when funding isn’t readily available.
Schools had to come up with their own rules to make sure their students won’t use their phones, such as confiscating them if they are caught or in-school suspension.
Some students, like Fairfield High School senior Callie Morgan, even leave them in their cars.
“If it does for some reason come on, it doesn’t let any alarms go off. I just don’t want it to get taken up,” Morgan said.
Fairfield High School senior Mason Edwards says it’s not just his concentration that’s improving, but also the collaboration between other students too.
“There’s a lot more conversations in class. It’s even more conversations with people you never really talk to because they can’t just get on their phone,” Edwards explained.
Teachers, like Fairfield High School math teacher Nicole Crawford, are seeing the difference in their student friendships and online drama.
“If you didn’t find out about it last night, you’re not going to find it the 8 hours you are at school,” Crawford said.
Students who are active on TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram, like Salado High School senior Cade Harris, say they are seeing more students wanting to connect with their peers in person instead of just talking with them online.
“On social media you can follow me and see the stuff that I post but you don’t really know who I am, genuinely, until you get to meet me and until you get to talk with me and have a conversation with me.”
Dr. James Roberts, the Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing at Baylor University, has published a survey-based study in 2023, looking into how Instagram and TikTok affect your personal happiness.
According to Dr. Roberts, social media can be a digital addiction that causes you to lose track of time, and people who are addicted tend to continue despite being aware of the negative side effects.
To curb social media and phone addiction, Dr. Roberts says putting your phone out of site periodically will make it easier for your mind.
“Create an environment for yourself that makes it easy for you to cut back on your phone, we do know even if you’re not using them if the phone is there our attention is distracted to the phone,” Dr. Roberts noted.
While teachers and students say there will always be students who try to sneak around the rule.
High schoolers, like Salado High senior Thomas Novotny, are slowly starting to see the healthier changes in their classrooms and in the hallways.
“Walking through the schools seeing no phones was definitely different, especially, since we are seniors. We are kind of used to that now. It’s a completely different scene in the hallways now but I would say it looks nicer, it looks more active and people are more engaged,” Novotny said.
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