Cons on the New Phone Policy

As our school prepares to enforce its first phone-free school day on Monday, October 7th, in hopes to create a phone-free campus, it’s important for us students to weigh the potential cons of this new policy. From 8:25 am to 3:20 pm, no phones can be used or visible anywhere on campus; not even outside of class. While  Ricky Lapidus, Upper School head, and the administration aim to foster better in-person interactions and reduce distractions, the decision to restrict phone usage creates a handful of challenges for students who rely on their phones for communication, safety, and daily schedule organization. One of the most popular concerns that students have is the impact on communication between students and their families. Sophomore Krish Parikh shared his frustrations with the phone ban: “Throughout the day, I communicate with my parents about my after-school plans. Without my phone, it’s hard to coordinate things like practice and rides home.” For Parikh and other students, phones are vital for familial communication and planning, especially when students’ schedules are filled up and plans can change unexpectedly. Removing this direct line of communication can lead to unnecessary stress and confusion for both the student and their families. Safety is another critical concern that is raised by the phone-ban. Senior Ameen Berjis points out the potential risks that he believes comes with taking away phones: “If there is an emergency, like if I have an allergic reaction, I need to be able to contact my parents.” For students with medical conditions, not having phones could be potentially life threatening Additionally, Berjis pointed out how the existing system of phone boxes in classrooms has already shown that phones can be lost or misplaced: “There is also a risk of people forgetting or losing their phones at school because it has already happened with the phone boxes in the classrooms.” While the goal of reducing phone use has its benefits, the downsides shouldn’t be ignored. For many students, phones are important tools for safety, communication, and organization. The ban might even push students to rely on other devices, which defeats the ban’s entire purpose. As the school tries out this new policy, it’s important to ask if the benefits of reducing phone use really outweighs the challenges students will face without easy access to their phones.