The Downside of Cell Phone Use in the School Environment

When it comes to handling emergency situations and communicating between parents and students at college prep boarding schools, cell phones are considered important devices to have in a school setting. However, there are many disadvantages that cell phones bring to the table in the school environment — and it has become a huge challenge for teachers and faculty to enforce cell phone use rules (or ban them completely) in order to avoid these downfalls.

Distraction

Cell phone use has become the ultimate distraction-prone device in all aspects of society, whether it’s while driving, during conversation or while at work. Cell phone use at college prep boarding schools, for example, has become the ultimate distraction. These distractions come in the form of text messages, phone calls, Internet use, games, social media and other entertaining apps. Schools are designed to optimize students’ learning opportunities and social skills, but even when phones are put away during class — which is rarely the case — they continue to distract students during free periods. 

Cheating

Another issue with cell phone use at schools is the ability it gives students to cheat. Not only that, the technological advances of phones nowadays makes cheating more appealing and tempting. This could mean taking pictures of exam questions and sending them to others, looking up answers on the internet, texting others for test answers and so on. Cheating has become much easier and more common throughout college prep boarding schools and colleges because of cell phone use, making it difficult to embed real information into students’ minds.

Theft

Allowing cell phones in the school environment has also created a high risk of theft. Smartphones in particular have not only become a popular device to own, but also an appealing piece of technology to steal. Smartphones are expensive to replace, and allowing them in schools creates an environment for stealing cell phones and reselling them for one’s personal profit — a problem that can only be avoided if cell phone use is restricted.  

Alyssa Koenig is an academic writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Wasatch Academy. Follow on Twitter.