this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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Doesn't need to be on a phone.
But it is on phones, conveniently accessible.
I mean that students can access that capability through a plethora of district provided resources. In the US, nearly every classroom has a fleet of laptops. Students don't need to use a device that lets them screw around and goof off anymore than that lol
I agree that there is some benefit for classrooms without that technology, but, honestly, it's more detrimental to the students' mental health and learning process, regardless.
Most kids in middle and many in high school cannot psychologically handle/manage using their cell phone appropriately in class. We can't expect them to. They're kids. They take pictures of each other without permission (usually, generally, innocent, but sometimes not), they spend hours of instructional time scrolling inane crap on Instagram or Twitter or whatever, or they straight up play fortnite all class.
Most of these kids have not yet been equipped with the media and tech literacy skills they need to make good choices regarding their technology. This comes down to the inherent lag time in the field of education and while we began addressing this over the last few years, a lot of kids have been raised by smartphones more than they have been by their parents.
Until that connection between student and smart phone is treated with greater respect and understanding, which will take a massive culture shift, kids don't need to access phones in class.
When i hear about social media hurting mental health i remember my time through school, before social media was a thing. The amounts are anecdotal of course, but all the same issues were definitely present. Bullying and harassment, body image problems, relationship problems, rumors and gossip and classism and bigotry. Social media is just another form of human interaction, human interaction itself can get ugly.
Social media use is related to classroom distractions, but I'd say it is it's own can of worms that needs to be addressed.
The issue is both with scope and amplification of persistent issues like those you mentioned as well as the detached nature of communication over these apps or just on the internet in general.
Human interactions are definitely ugly and awkward at times, especially between kids as they try to make sense of their world. The increased amount/prevalence of these opportunities for communication through an algorithmic lens that perpetuates unrealistic societal expectations and is designed to keep the user constantly engaged both take a greater toll on mental health and distract people (adults included) from the task at hand or reality in general.