Cell Phone Usage in School Should Be Banned

Kaitlyn Sebastian Cell Phone Usage in School In a Wireless survey, it has been said that 91% of Americans use a cell phone. These devices have majorly advanced within the years and can be used for many things. Although cell phones have many great and convenient features, their usage in school should be banned because teens ignore the enforced rules, it can be used to cheat, and most have a camera feature that can be used to take inappropriate pictures of others. Teens these days are very “rebellious” in my opinion. Most don’t like being told what to do and like to be independent.

So, when they know that there are rules in school against having cell phones around with you throughout the day, they ignore them because they always think they will never get caught. Teens can be very sneaky with what they do and can hide things easily. They know that the worst that can happen is having their phone taken away for the rest of the school day and then getting it back after. Some schools could enforce the rule all day but, “Kids kind of roll their eyes, and I’m sure they have it out again 10 or 15 feet down the hall,” high school teacher Ed Stried remarked.

Many schools allowed to have their phones collected in the beginning of the day and then at assigned times, students are able to use their cell phones, like during Study Hall, or lunch break. Many have found this unsuccessful because kids ignore it and can pretend that they did not have a cell phone on them and hide them through the day, sending texts or pictures. Teachers should not allow this because it can be such a distraction. Their phones should be checked and kept in their locker until school is over.

Taking pictures brings me to my next point. Many new phones today have a built in camera feature that allows people to easily take a “quick-pic” anytime without bringing a whole different device, such as a digital camera. Despite its handy uses, this cool feature can be used inappropriately. Bullying is also a major issue in school and it comes in many forms, like cyber bullying which includes through phones. Students, if allowed to use their cell phone at anytime throughout a school day, can also take pictures at anytime.

Some may be used to shoot a memorable moment, and some may be used to take an embarrassing picture of someone. Many teens are on social networks, always posting updates and uploading pictures of their whereabouts. Many cellular devices allow a quick share feature that can upload the photo that you took straight onto your website. Students can take an advantage of this and may have intentions of not being nice to others in school. They can easily take a picture to make fun of someone or harass them and post it right away on Facebook for example.

Having phones allowed to be used during school can cause other dangerous issues and can pose for serious consequences. These serious consequences can also take part when kids do the wrong things with the ability to text and take pictures. One major problem that usage in schools can lead to is cheating. Again, with a camera, kids can take pictures of tests or quizzes to share with other students who have it later in the day. They can also easily get away with texting their friends because most can text without looking at the keyboard.

Another important thing is that you can also access the internet. They not only could go to inappropriate websites but also look up answers right in the palm of their hands. Yes, students can enjoy the freedom of being able to text their parents a quick message or check their email but this is unfair to all the students who do not cheat and work really hard studying, so this can be a real problem. Overall, being able to use a cell phone in school can lead to serious issues with students.

It should be banned because students ignore the rules, can be used to take pictures inappropriately, and to cheat and/or share answers with others. The result of banning cell phone use in school will help maintain a safe and distraction-free atmosphere that all students can enjoy. Source Citation: “Schools continue to deal with cellular misbehaving. ” Janesville Gazette [Janesville, WI] 5 Dec. 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 26 Apri. 2012. “EDITORIAL: Policy on cell phone use effective. ” Daily News [Bowling Green, KY] 30 Oct. 2009. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 26 Apri. 2012.