Commentary
“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”
— Chinese Proverb
Concern about how different media affect learners goes back thousands of years, as this Chinese proverb shows. An example from Western culture comes from Plato.
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Board Member Nick Melvoin began by saying, as a teacher, how he has been “struck by how our students are glued to their cell phones, not unlike adults. They’re surreptitiously scrolling in school, during class time. They have their head in their hands, walking in the hallways. They’re not talking with each other, or playing at lunch or recess because they have their Airpods in. And a growing body of research … is crystallizing these deleterious effects—the harmful effects on their academic achievement, on their mental health, on their physical health.”
He said teachers and parents tell him more time is being spent on policing student phone use, and they’re looking for some support from the board and the district. Studies show the bans are producing results, he said. “Kids are happier. They’re talking to one another. Their academics are up.”
Learning Loss
The meeting then moved on to phone testimony from Dr. Kara Anderson, a pediatrician. She said students already have been suffering from “post-pandemic learning loss.” And cell phones add to the problem.
“These devices, by design, are maximally engaging.” For herself, she said, if she’s standing in line at a grocery store or stuck in traffic, “It literally takes everything in me not to check my phone. And I know that everyone listening grapples with the same. By allowing phones in schools, we are asking kids to do better than we can do ourselves.”
She said given that children’s brains are only partially developed, it will be well into adulthood before they’re mature enough to be able to prioritize decisions that are good for them, over what may feel good.
“And yet they are expected to keep devices tucked away. They’re expected to sit down in a cafeteria and be comfortable with their social discomfort in ways that we aren’t. They are expected to manage devices designed to lure them in, in ways that we don’t demand of ourselves,” she said.
The research findings also indicate a positive and significant impact of this policy on the PISA scores of the Galicia region, equivalent to 0.6–0.8 years of learning in mathematics and approximately 0.72 to nearly one year of learning in sciences. PISA tests serve as an international comparison of student abilities.
Moreover, a 2016 study conducted in four English cities and published in the journal Labour Economics concluded that student performance in high-stakes exams notably improves post-ban, by an average of about 0.07 standard deviations. These improvements are particularly pronounced among the lowest-achieving students, highlighting the adverse effects of the unregulated presence of phones on certain students and the potential benefits of restricting their use to address educational disparities.
The LAUSD’s decision to ban cell phones in schools is expected to set a precedent for other districts, with a statewide ban likely to follow. However, it is worth noting the irony that much of the cell phone-related issues stem from advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) that mimic human behavior, contributing to our addiction to these devices.
The LAUSD Board’s recent agenda also includes a resolution recognizing the potential of AI to enhance efficiencies, accuracy, and customization for users, with LA Unified positioned as a leader in AI technology. This resolution includes plans to provide an AI-powered annual budget tool accessible online, potentially on cell phones.
As society continues to navigate the complexities of new technologies, particularly those developed in California, the next challenge may involve encouraging parents to monitor and limit their children’s cell phone usage at home, a task that may prove more challenging than implementing bans in educational settings.
Please note that the views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and may not necessarily align with those of The Epoch Times.
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