We publish her comment with minimal abridgment:
A decade ago we had a debate about the “potential benefits” of smartphones. At the time, elite school principals called them a “powerful resource” that teachers should “use” rather than fear. Today, this concept seems like a dangerous fantasy. My rebuttal at the time—that phones would widen the gap between rich and poor—seems painfully naive today.
The phones turned out to be more damaging than either side of the debate could have imagined. Smartphones and their symbiotic relationship with social networks have become the tobacco of our time. The British government’s decision to turn the ban guidelines into law is not a bold intervention, but simply an acknowledgment of an ugly reality.
The list of risks is endless. Chronic lack of sleep, deep feelings of inadequacy from constant comparison on the web, radicalization and easy access to aggressive content. The schools realized one thing, if children are not protected from these dangers, the educational process is impossible.
However, enforcing the ban is a logistical nightmare. A study by the University of Birmingham shows that in high-security schools, staff spend more than 100 hours a week just enforcing the rules. This is equivalent to the full working week of three employees.
The problem does not go away with the signing of a law. Conflict-weary teachers often “tactically ignore” the notification sound to avoid hostility. The described cases are startling, students carry several devices to pass a “victim” on inspection, and others display aggression typical of addicts in withdrawal. There are cases of teachers locking themselves out to protect themselves from angry students demanding their device back.
Out of control A report in Lancet Regional Health – Europe suggests that strict school policies do not automatically improve mental health, as students compensate with even more intense use at home.
The ban is necessary, but it is not a magic solution. Teachers can take away the physical device, but they cannot single-handedly reboot minds already shaped by digital addiction. The real solution requires the intervention of families, the state and above all the technological giants. Anything else would be painfully naive.
