Arkansas Launches Pilot Program to Trial Cellphone Ban in Schools

December 11, 2024 TruthUSA

Arkansas has officially initiated a “phone-free” pilot program in school districts across the state.

The initiative, spearheaded by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is currently active in 112 school districts statewide.

The program aims to create “phone-free” schools to improve students’ mental well-being and combat screen addiction, according to the governor.

“We are taking this step in Arkansas and hope to inspire more states to follow our example!” Sanders stated in an X post on December 9, mentioning that her motivation came after reading Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation.

This initiative is supported by $7 million in state funding, which provides schools with pouches or locking mechanisms for students to secure their phones, alongside grants for mental health programs at participating schools.

Several Arkansas school districts commenced the program at their middle schools, targeting students who typically start to receive mobile devices and establish cell phone usage habits.

Earlier this year, Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva encouraged superintendents statewide to participate in the pilot program, citing a connection between cellphone use and both academic performance and mental health concerns.

Oliva indicated that the average American teenager spends nearly five hours daily on social media, frequently during school hours.

“Spending three or more hours a day on social media doubles the likelihood of mental health issues among kids,” Oliva stated in a July letter.

“Since smartphones became commonplace, suicide rates among young teens have tripled, self-harm among girls has risen by nearly 200%, and depression rates among teenagers have surged 150 percent. Furthermore, math, reading, and science scores for teens have seen a decline in the United States and other developed countries since 2012, while school alienation has increased broadly.”

State lawmakers acknowledged that banning or limiting cellphone use among students is a nuanced issue, considering that phones can be essential for learning and research.

Legislators have also recognized that it may take at least a full school year or longer to accurately assess any changes in test scores, and evaluating the effect on students’ mental health could prove even more difficult.

Families have expressed concerns that removing cellphones from students could hinder essential communication with their children.

As reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, 77 percent of schools in the U.S. prohibit cellphones for nonacademic purposes.

Policies vary nationwide, with some districts permitting phone use during lunch and between classes.

Los Angeles Unified recently became the largest district in the nation to implement a cellphone ban during school hours, which will take effect in February 2025.

In 2023, Florida became the first state in the nation to prohibit cellphone use in schools.

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