Phones are ubiquitous. People call my generation “screenagers”. Pundits rage about kids spending too much time on social media. I even get ads from TikTok pitching their screen limit option. So, it was no surprise that the anti-smartphone movement reached schools, including mine.
According to school administrators, phones have posed numerous student problems (which I’ll address later). After assembling a faculty task force, my school announced a new policy over the summer. The reaction from students was swift – most did not appreciate the new policy. Meanwhile, most teachers viewed the policy positively and took it as an opportunity to have greater focus in their classes. So what does this policy mean for me, an Autistic student, and are policies like this positive or negative for Autistic students?
The most evident benefit of this policy is the improvement of mental health. Researchers consistently find a link between depression and social media usage. Specifically, they have found a worrying trend of insecurity among teens, especially teenage girls. Therefore, the hope is that by limiting social media usage in school, overall social media consumption will decrease and mental health will improve. This would benefit all students, especially Autistic students, many of whom also struggle with anxiety or depression.
Also, when I spoke to administrators they pointed out that phones often act as a barrier for socialization. Especially post-COVID, students have struggled with normal conversations, instead being distracted by their phones. Before the ban, I generally avoided my phone throughout the day and it often distressed me to walk into the cafeteria and see everyone looking down. For Autistics, in-school socialization is one of the few easy opportunities to grow this skill. Therefore, a distracted student body could cause Autistic students to give up or not even pursue socializing. Even for motivated people, the quality of social interaction pales compared to that of previous generations.
Lastly, many teachers emphasized how distracting phones were to the academic environment. I remember classes last year where students secretly used Snapchat under the table or played video games during study hall. Teachers struggled to cope with the abuse of phones, often resorting to phone pockets and collecting phones before every test. Now, with a ban, teachers spend less time on these measures and students are more focused. Still, this isn’t foolproof as computers can similarly be abused, but teachers can easily counter that these are more identifiable and controllable. Of course, the benefit of this will impact all students. Specifically for Autistic students, many of whom can have difficulty paying attention, this policy could improve their overall learning outcomes.
Now, this policy isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is controversial because of many of the drawbacks that students have brought up. Let’s start with the convenience these devices provide. Phones are increasingly essential for the everyday world. Texting is the primary mode of communication between students. For example, in a large school, students will often need to communicate with their friends to say where they are during peak socialization times such as lunch. Phones also provide a quick way for students to answer emails, check the time, or review their schedules during the day. It doesn’t make sense to take out your computer on your bus ride. Without phones, students are also barred from scanning QR codes, recording interviews, and even taking pictures of experiments (which may be necessary for certain science labs). While this can be countered by offering individual exceptions, it adds additional time to something that should ideally take less than a minute. Again, this impacts all students and I don’t think has a unique Autistic angle. But, I do think these newly added barriers cause additional stress for Autistic students. The socialization and workload that Autistics must complete are difficult enough. One inconvenience may be insignificant, but they quickly add up.
Phones also provide a level of comfort to many students. Now, the comfort that students will claim their phones bring should be considered individually. I don’t believe that watching TikTok will improve anxiety, but, I think listening to music during a study session could increase focus and lessen stress. While these situations will likely balance themselves out in the end, I think there is one consideration that is concerning– that of emergency mental health. I have taken my phone once out at school without permission. I was alone in my psychologist’s office after getting increasingly overwhelmed. Unless I communicated with someone else, my situation could have escalated. I think back to some of the sensory overloads I have gotten. One over the summer prevented me from going to work the next day, and that was with someone trying to help me. In a big school, could I be forgotten for hours? Without my phone, I wouldn’t have been able to communicate this need.
I have taken the personal position that in a situation like this, I will prioritize my health over this policy. Still, will every student do the same? And what if a student does this in an emergency and they are misunderstood, their phone is confiscated and they are now left alone? What happens in that situation?
The thing that worries me the most about this new policy is an increase in the culture of fear and mistrust. High School is a time when students are meant to gain independence, where adults expect students to be accountable for their actions. Banning phones sends the opposite message: we know better than you. One teacher explained the policy as akin to banning cigarettes, that banning phones was for our good, and that the school administration was just looking out for us. I felt insulted. This teacher was coming from a genuine place, worried about the effects he saw social media having on his students. Still, it made me feel vulnerable that there were people at my school who could trust me with driving to school but not with using my phone. What kind of message does this send to students?
I’m going to disappoint you. I’ve talked with administrators and they are right: there is no perfect solution. Unfortunately, with current technology, there is only so much a school can do to restrict phones without outright banning them but I’ve given thought to what an ideal policy would look like. I’d start with an open conversation between teachers, students, and parents. Phones aren’t good or evil, they have their drawbacks and benefits, so how can they be used productively? They should be banned from the classroom – they present a clear threat to attention. Outside of the classroom, during social periods, could technology be developed to block social media – the specific social and emotional barrier harming students? According to my school psychologist, the technology does not yet exist for that. But, I believe that it is certainly possible. Also, confiscation could work differently. Currently, I have seen a variety of ways teachers have acted when spotting phones. Some just extend their hand to take the phone. Others will gently tell the student to put it away. Other times, sometimes stemming from the teacher, sometimes stemming from the student, a scene will emerge that could take away the attention of the class. Could this be approached with more empathy? The reasons for using a phone are multiple – so could the teacher ask first why the student is using the phone instead of just assuming the worst? This refocuses this policy on mutual respect instead of disdain.
So in conclusion, what does this mean for Autistic students? A lot of things. Socialization and mental health are likely to improve while other challenges are likely to pop up as such a ubiquitous part of life becomes restricted. If poorly executed, tension may arise between Autistic students and their administration – something not helpful when this relationship is critical for student success. If you are a school administrator or teacher, this isn’t an op-ed against these policies, far from it, I am far from an expert. But when crafting whatever approach you settle on, make sure to address and keep in mind these concerns. As my mom, head of a change management division of a major real-estate company reminds me, change is inevitable – it matters how we introduce it and handle it.
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