Mobile Phones at School

As the technology has been in the corners of our lives, the use of mobile phones has become a discussion point especially for young kids. Today, nearly 75 per cent of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States own mobile phones, according to a recent technology survey. Now some schools are telling students to leave their mobile phones at home.

Mobile phones have recently been banned to be used in the schools in New York City. Within a month, school officials took away 3,000 phones from students. Schools across the country are asking this question: Should mobile phones be allowed in school?

According to some education officials, mobile phones are often misused. Students have been caught making calls in class and text messaging test answers to their friends. Plus, mobile phones are among the most frequently stolen objects in schools. Many teachers think getting rid of mobile phones would prevent students from being distracted during class.

Mobile phones provide a convenient way for families to stay in touch. Parents like knowing they can get in touch with their kids, especially when their kids leave school. That’s why some schools allow mobile phones, but only if students keep them turned off and out of sight during class.

"I don’t see a reason to ban cell phones," Leland Dishman, a school official from Alabama, told Weekly Reader News. "Our kids are very responsible, and I do not expect much of a problem."

"Mobile phones are OK as long as the school doesn’t object," William Scharffe, the chairman of school boards in the USA, told Weekly Reader News. He says that if phones are allowed, however, students need to use them responsibly and at the proper time. Adapted from Weekly Reader Magazine