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There's nothing new about children and adults being treated differently.
It’s not about role modeling. It’s about learning and attention spans.
Yeah, but explain that to the children, especially young ones.
I do teaching, and when I set rules about not using phones during class - I put mine to the pile too. You can present the most compelling argument ever, but there's a much higher chance it's gonna reach fifth graders if you actually practice what you preach, and show the example of self-discipline, otherwise it will feel dishonest or unfair to kids, because they're kids.
With that in mind, take them from the adults too lol. I know some adults who are chronically online
The adults already have a job. They’re fine.
The students can’t even read anymore because they’re dumb as rocks.
STFU old man. You don't even know any young people.
Sure, we give the kids alcohol, let them drive, let them vote- wait we don't!? What do you mean there's always been these kinds of differences!?
Using these as an excuse for arbritary additional restrictions doesn't make your arguement stronger, it makes those restrictions morally suspect. This arguement means we need clearer frameworks on what is and isn't a reasonable restriction on account of age to avoid the drinking age being a justification for erosion of rights
Adults are more responsible than children. Responsibility comes with privileges.
Adults are more responsible than children. Responsibility comes with privileges.
uhhh you must not be in the states...
Yes, we have different rules for kids and adults. Does anyone want to argue that we shouldn't? Really? Let's hear it.
I take it the argument that kids need their phones to be safe at school has been completely debunked? Otherwise, they'd use that one, like parents have since this whole fiasco started.
To anyone old enough to remember when schools didn't allow personal phones, because they didn't exist, the idea that they should be allowed is ludicrous. Same for allowing food, or chit-chat, or kids to get up and wander around the class during instruction, or all the other stupid shit that goes on now in schools, from what I've read.
Fuck that. If you can't stop schools from getting shot up, banning phones is the wrong move.
Texan here, working for a school district where these types of laws have already been implemented: I'm pretty sure it's about controlling narratives, not improving education.
Kids use their phones to fact-check teachers, record teachers improperly addressing students, record fights, and verifiably report on very real issues within the school. I haven't seen any educational benefits from banning cell phones, only that it's been easier to sweep stories under the rug and to refute concerning complaints from children in need.
sooooo apply the same rules to the adults? here's my old man yells at cloud moment but you don't need your cell phone in school. I got through my entire schooling without one, teachers didn't have one. if there was an emergency or you needed to make a call well that's what the front office was for.
I mean hell in high school kids just had pagers and if a teacher caught you looking at it during class they'd just take it away.
Things can literally go back to this with zero negative consequences. The only parents that are upset about this are the ones with deeply co-dependent relationships with their kids. My wife is a teacher and when her school briefly had kids put their phones in pouches, a lot of her students told her they felt relief from feeling like they have to check their phone constantly. This ban will help with teacher burnout too. Teachers spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to get their students to put their phones away. It should have been put into law years ago. Also, the teachers don't have time to check their phone during class, so the comment about role modeling is complete bullshit.
don’t forget - schools are there to make moldable employees. not solid adult humans. banning cell phones seems to align with the working industry’s rules, too.
If someone can't have their mobile device on hand because of stupid employer rules then they need to find a new job.
I get that you don't want your team distracted by mobile phone use during work hours, but saying you can't have one is idiotic. Fuck those employers.
OTOH kids need to learn that putting the device away to focus is a thing, if they can't figure it out on their own I'm not against removing the opportunity while they mature.
Even for aircraft pilots?
I'm sorry, is there a massive problem of adult teachers and staff at school being constantly glued to and distracted by their phones such that it prevents them from teaching and doing what they are otherwise there to do?
No?
... Maybe the critics can ask ChatGPT what a false equivalence is.
We had early smart phones back I was in high school.
We also had this rule.
Its fine.
If its not fine, you have an addiction problem, and should seek help.
I agree with you that adults having smart phones is a different problem than children having smart phones.
Here's where you lose me. The critique isn't that adults are distracted. The critique is that being a role model means modeling the same behavior and showing by doing. That is the argument I see disengenuously misrepresented in this comment section again and again. That is a separate argument from adults have a problem with using their phones at inappropriate times during the work day/adults are addicted to their phones.
I can also unilaterally state that smart phones are also addictive for adults and are also bad for our mental health and well being.
The fact is, adults absolutely do have problems with staying on task and avoiding their phones during the work day. I see this in the field I work in and in other fields. This is so prevalent there are whole industries where its common to see "no mobile devices allowed in vehicles" stickers and decals on work trucks.
Oh, well, most adults being paid to pefrom their role, their tasks and duties, at a job, most of them are essentially de facto capable of role modelling proper phone usage, otherwise they'd be fired.
You just don't use it while you're actively working, you know, actively engaged in the act of teaching a lesson, overseeing a lab day, etc.
If a teacher was constantly on their phone, while they're supposed to be teaching, they'd get reported and reprimanded and eventually fired.
This isn't disingenuous, to hold this assumption... this is how things have worked for a long time.
Yeah, yeah a construction or transport crew should also have restrictions on distracted driving or otherwise operating a multi ton vehicle, yes, same as a forklift operator.
They should be fired if they egregiously violate safety protocols.
Systems exist and have existed to do this.
The problem that is going on in schools is that a combination of over-exhausted and underpaid teachers, combined with incompetent/corrupt admins have just looked the other way on this for so long that its become a problem not only in schools, but also all the places those kids who went to those schools go after they've graduated.
The solution is not to equivocate, the solution is having higher standards.
And just to be clear: addictive behaviors and patterns start in adolescence, and then progress and worsen and broaden when they are not identified and addressed.
This is ... very widely the consensus of all kinds of studies into all kinds of addiction.
So having teachers model proper usage of the useful but potentially very addictive device... is arguably the most important area of society to do this with.
If you want a society that isn't constantly distracted by their rectangles... you should exemplify to them how to properly use the rectangles from a young age.
False "addiction" accusations are used to imply that the thing you want to control in people is a problem of lack of self control requiring external intervention
Oh I'm not implying, I'm directly stating it.
If you cannot go 24 hrs, 48 hrs, a week, without using a phone for anything other than making actual phone calls on it, you have a problem and need, at bare minimum, a hobby.
I'd suggest reading whole books.
There is so much literature on how massive (especially shortform) social media use destroys your ability to concentrate, lessens your attention span, causes addiction, and is intentionally designed to cause addiction.
Its literally come out in court, fairly recently.
If you can't hit pause on this on your own, yeah, you need help.
At this point, I don't know where that help is going to or should come from, but I know an addict when I see one.
Because I am one.
I'm addicted to nictoine, I start getting real pissy around the 24 hr cold turkey mark.
I certainly would count myself amongst those who would need actual help to actually quit.
Difference here being, my nicotine habit isn't and wasn't tolerated or accepted in public school, I did that shit to myself, a decade afterward, as a legally/socially self responsible adult.
All kids are anarchists until radicalized with capitalism.
However, it isn't 2012 anymore and the kid of today has no real autonomy outside of forced, walled gardens. Most will never see a laptop that isn't chained up.
To anyone saying kids will rebel and fix the issue themselves,... with what?
In our day, we had a PC in the house and freely available resources everywhere, and 3-4 years of World of Warcraft to introduce us to computers.
We need access to open hardware for everyone. But that's exactly what's being banned. That's why we need civil disobedience
Yeah! Kids shouldn't have different rules than adults! Same rules for all ages!
Sincerely,
The Pedophiles
The pedophiles are the ones making these rules. (Source: the Epstein files) isolation enables abuse, and these policies aren't being made in a vacuum but as part of a comprehensive attack on access to information and connection
Hot take but phone ban is schools is bad. We ought to teach kids how to use the phones properly as clearly personal computers are never going away and are fundamental part of our existence.
I know it's hard, I know that teachers will struggle but it's clearly an important investment as we're never going back to a pre personal computer world. It might change shape from a phone to a watch or something but it's never going away.
Remember these laws are about censorship, not education quality
There's ample evidence that social media and smartphone addiction affects developing brains significantly worse than it affects fully-developed brains.
Banning cell phone use in school is a good thing.
It's all made up to justify control
No, it isn't.
Make friends with a few schoolteachers and listen to their stories.
There's ample evidence that drugs addiction affects developing brains significantly worse than it affects fully-developed brains.
Banning drugs use in school is a good thing.
Banning drugs use in school is a good thing.
You're right. Nothing that isn't perfect is worth doing.
I guess we should just wait to act until every student can't focus on something for more than 30 seconds instead of 60. Definitely a better idea because, after all, just ignoring the problem always works.
Oh right cause the war on drugs totally worked. My point is that addressing the consequences won't solve the problem, like those children's won't go home and be glued to their phones.
I understand your point.
And it's absurd, as I illustrated.
like those children’s won’t go home and be glued to their phones.
if they can put them down for 6 hours a day, that's huge progress over saturating in it every waking hour.
We took away all their other options, then complain they're always on their phones. It's cruel
Critics don't want to hear that young people whose brains aren't fully developed yet have poorer impulse control than adults...
But young people whose brains aren't fully developed yet have poorer impulse control than adults.
We don't want to lose our rights because of shoddy neuroscience being misinterpreted for political gain
this post was submitted on 03 May 2026
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