As mobile devices turn to be a significant part of human's daily activities, the use of cell phones in school is becoming increasingly controversial. Even students in high school own themselves cell phones. Also, over 94% of high school students want the freedom of using their mobile phones in school (Gikas and Grant, 19). Young students in high school are among the majority of people in the global population who are using mobile devices in their daily life. According to the findings by (Kuznekoff and Titsworth, 233) the majority of school going students get their first cell phones when they are between 12 to 13 years. However, the major problem is that school going teenagers use their mobile devices while in school rather than using them when they are outside the school compound. Consequently, the use of mobile phones causes much distraction in school. Because of the distractive nature of cell phones, high school students should be restricted from using their mobile phones in school, as this would enhance their concentration and successful learning.
Cellphones are a distraction for high school students
Use of cell phones by high school students continues increasing, and a student can use their mobile phones for over eleven times a day. This results in a lot of time wasted because of the distraction of the particular students from their schoolwork. Students in high school spend around 20% of their school time checking social media, emailing, and texting (Kuznekoff and Titsworth, 237). Even if the primary intention of allowing students to use their cell phones in school is to enhance their learning, the majority of those students do not use them for educational-based activities.
There are very many uses of cell phones, which results in distractions among the high school students. Young people in the current generation commonly use their mobile phones to spend their time or keep themselves busy. The majority of activities performed by high school students using their cell phones are; watching games and videos, chatting with friends and relatives, web surfing and playing games (McCoy, 15). Also, students focus on their phones while listening to music and viewing other people's updates on their profiles through networking sites. Today, the advancement of technology has led to the manufacturing of mobile phones which allow live communication or video chatting among users (Thornton et al., 479). Such applications make high school students lose their concentration and forget their presence in class. Moreover, the practice can lead to many high school students idling in their classrooms and fail to focus on the primary task of listening to their teachers, understanding what is taught in classes, and doing the given assignments accordingly. Therefore, because of being distractive, smartphones make high school students spend their time wrongly.
While students are using their cell phones in classrooms, there are also exposed to conflicts with each other because of the issues like spreading of rumors and hurting messages among one another using their mobile phones, thus causing chaos. As one student uses his or her cell phone, the nearby student would be distracted, and this would affect many students’ attention in class (Katz, 107). Additionally, high school students might also be taking bad pictures of their fellow student to expose them which are an invasion of other student’s privacy. As a result, there might be a distraction in classrooms, especially when such students exchange words either through their cell phones or verbally among other students. Therefore, the use of mobile phones in classrooms by high school students might result in battles, which might distract the learning of the serious students who want to listen to what is taught by teachers.
As students use their cell phones in classrooms, they are likely to encounter texts or videos fully and start laughing around. The particular noise would distract the entire classroom's learning and make the teacher and other students lose their focus (O'bannon and Thomas, 16). Hence, the use of cell phones in high school prepares students to reduce their capacity to pay attention.
The extended use of mobile phones in class result to a student’s poor performance. The affected students are highly likely to take poor quality notes in a classroom. Besides, while the teacher is teaching, a student with a cell phone tends to retain minimal information, as much of their time is occupied on their phones (Katz, 112). What is more, students who frequently use their phones in class perform poorly in their examinations.
Solution
High school students should be restricted from the use of their cell phones in school. Parents should not buy their children phones especially when they are below ten years because the phones will not be used as necessities but just like any other gadget. Mobile phones are prone to causing distractions, and this should not be extended to children who are supposed to focus on their studies. In school, children are most likely going to use their phones during study hours, and they might text each other answers during examination time (Gikas and Grant, 25). Most of the time in a child’s school life should be focused on studies but not the use of mobile phones in chatting or communicating while at school. Indeed, students in high school should not be allowed to have mobile phones, especially while in the learning environment because they are distractive towards their learning activities and the problem might be extended from one student to the other in a classroom (Kuznekoff and Titsworth, 251).
Also, those who support the continued use of cell phones by high school students argue that technology allow students to improve their learning, as they have access to educational apps that enable them to study. Besides, mobile phones are claimed to enable school going students to develop appropriate learning habit, gain organizational skills, and manage their time accordingly (O'bannon and Thomas, 23). However, high school students are supplied with adequate learning materials by their teachers, and they have access to the required books from their local libraries (Kuznekoff and Titsworth, 245). Also, students are taught in classrooms how to organize their work and the appropriate ways of managing their time (Tessier, 27). Therefore, high school students should know that it is necessary to pay attention to a teacher giving directions and teaching a concept in class, since this enhances students’ understanding.
Despite the need for the incorporation of digital platforms in classes, such as social media to make students more interested in studies and motivate them to participate in class discussions, they should use them based on necessities (O'bannon and Thomas, 24). Nevertheless, according to research, serious students are expected to follow all school rules and regulations, and when high school students are required to listen from the teacher and engage in discussions in class, this makes them concentrate more and perform well (Thornton et al., 479). Therefore, there should be restriction against the use of cell phones, for students to learn how to conduct book-based research to get more information beyond what is taught in class by their teachers (Beland and Murphy, 67). According to researchers, the appropriate way to keep a high school student focused is providing written materials and explaining them in class; and involving them in classroom discussions where they can share ideas and responses effectively with each other (Gikas and Grant, 22).
In conclusion, the increased use of cell phones by school students has become a critical issue in schools. Simply by using mobile phones in classes, students experience more distraction, which affects their learning and those of their fellow students, as well as the focus on their teachers. High school performance would be better if students are restricted from using their cell phones while in the school compound. The majority of students would pay attention to their teachers, focus in class discussions and do their tests successfully.
Work Cited
Beland, Louis-Philippe, and Richard Murphy. "Ill communication: technology, distraction " student performance." Labour Economics 41 (2016): 61-76.
Gikas, Joanne, and Michael M. Grant. "Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cell phones, smartphones " social media." The Internet and Higher Education 19 (2013): 18-26.
Katz, James E. "Mobile phones in educational settings." Magic in the Air. Routledge, 2017. 101-116.
Kuznekoff, Jeffrey H., and Scott Titsworth. "The impact of mobile phone usage on student learning." Communication Education 62.3 (2013): 233-252.
McCoy, Bernard R. "Digital distractions in the classroom phase II: Student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes." (2016).
O'bannon, Blanche W., and Kevin Thomas. "Teacher perceptions of using mobile phones in the classroom: Age matters!." Computers " Education 74 (2014): 15-25.
Tessier, Jack. "Student impressions of academic cell phone use in the classroom." Journal of College Science Teaching
43.1 (2013): 25-29.
Thornton, Bill, et al. "The mere presence of a cell phone may be distracting: Implications for attention and task performance." Social Psychology 45.6 (2014): 479.
