Banning smartphones is the smart move, say these Catholic schools

Michie said:

(OSV News) — After St. Mary’s High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, launched its inaugural school year in 1885 — staffed by the Sisters of Loretto and planted on the front range of the Rockies under Pikes Peak — generations have passed through its doors going through students’ typical challenges to scholastic success and emotional well-being: lost homework; forgotten textbooks; maybe even a bully or two.

But now schools are finding students face a new typical challenge: cellphones.

St. Mary’s High School confronts cellphone challenge​

“Dress codes have always been a challenge in Catholic schools,” Thomas Maj, president of St. Mary’s, told OSV News. “But phones became a bigger one.”


Maj dates the “explosion” of student cellphone use to approximately 2005. In May of that year, Maj — who has been a Catholic school administrator for 25 years — said he could easily count the number of kids who had one. By the next year, it was easier to count those who didn’t.

“You see the social deprivation; you see the sleep deprivation; you see attention fragmentation in class; you see the addictions; you see how social media harms girls more than it does boys,” said Maj, inventorying detriments before concluding, “Something had to give.”

Implementing a cellphone ban​

Continued below.

Banning smartphones is the smart move, say these Catholic schools

After St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, launched its inaugural school year in 1885, generations have passed through its doors going through students' typical challenges to scholastic success and emotional well-being: lost homework; forgotten textbooks; maybe even a bully or...

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Ted-01 said:

About 20 years ago, several school districts tried this where I lived just outside of Washington, DC. Many of the parents and students complained that it would cause hardship on the families for various reasons. Pundits and action committees chimed in, and then courts got involved.

The phones were soon re-allowed.

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AlexB23 said:

I understand why phones were re-allowed 20 years ago, cos the phones could not browse the internet, and could be used in emergencies. Nowadays, phones have apps and the internet. Maybe, a compromise would be having a school approved app that could disable internet browsing and social media usage, and could be locked until the school day is over, or only allowing school approved flip phones. The second seems more feasible.

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Ted-01 said:

Both good ideas for them to investigate, Alex... if they would. I do hope that things could be sorted out on this issue... not only in schools but other areas where phones can be problematic.

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Michie said:

(OSV News) — After St. Mary’s High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, launched its inaugural school year in 1885 — staffed by the Sisters of Loretto and planted on the front range of the Rockies under Pikes Peak — generations have passed through its doors going through students’ typical challenges to scholastic success and emotional well-being: lost homework; forgotten textbooks; maybe even a bully or two.

But now schools are finding students face a new typical challenge: cellphones.

St. Mary’s High School confronts cellphone challenge​

“Dress codes have always been a challenge in Catholic schools,” Thomas Maj, president of St. Mary’s, told OSV News. “But phones became a bigger one.”


Maj dates the “explosion” of student cellphone use to approximately 2005. In May of that year, Maj — who has been a Catholic school administrator for 25 years — said he could easily count the number of kids who had one. By the next year, it was easier to count those who didn’t.

“You see the social deprivation; you see the sleep deprivation; you see attention fragmentation in class; you see the addictions; you see how social media harms girls more than it does boys,” said Maj, inventorying detriments before concluding, “Something had to give.”

Implementing a cellphone ban​

Continued below.

Banning smartphones is the smart move, say these Catholic schools

After St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, launched its inaugural school year in 1885, generations have passed through its doors going through students' typical challenges to scholastic success and emotional well-being: lost homework; forgotten textbooks; maybe even a bully or...

www.oursundayvisitor.com

Click to expand...

eleos1954 said:

if the Catholic church wants to create a rule that cell phones can not be used during school time and church time (must remain turned off) ... that's ok .... but beyond that it's really none of the churches business ... it's up to the parents. Parents should monitor their kids cellphone usage.

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AlexB23 said:

Agreed, or parents should not buy smartphones for kids until age 16.

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eleos1954 said:

Perhaps limiting kids cellphone to those that are not able to access the internet could be a good approach ???

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