Instead of cellphone ban, help kids build healthy habits

Gov. Greg Gianforte is making a push to establish cellphone-free schools across the state as evidence about the potentially unhealthy effects of excessive use among adolescents continues to pile up.

In a letter sent to educational leaders this summer, the governor described the need to address the situation as “urgent” in order for schools to achieve academic benchmarks and improve students’ mental health. 

The data from Commonsense Media cited by the Governor’s Office is eye-opening. 

• On a typical day, adolescents in the Commonsense Media study group received a median of 237 cellphone notifications. Of those, about a quarter arrived during the school day, and 5% at night. 

• During school hours, almost all of the participants used their phones at least once, for a median of 43 minutes. Most of that time was spent on social media, followed by YouTube and gaming apps. Educational apps were near the bottom in overall use. 

• Participants were on their phone for a median of about 4.5 hours a day. For most of the teens in the sample, their smartphones were close at hand and picked up and checked frequently throughout the day — a median of 51 times per day. 

Gianforte contends that the constant tether to a smartphone, particularly at school, is leading to declining academic outcomes. 

“For our Montana students to reach their full, outstanding potential, we should seek to remove distractions and disruptions in our schools, a place where students should be focused on learning,” he said. 

While well intended, Gianforte has missed the mark on advocating for broad cellphone bans. The approach is not only unrealistic, but it also fails to consider the variability that exists within each school cohort. 

In Kalispell, for example, Flathead and Glacier high schools have embraced flexible cellphone policies that allow teachers to set their own rules. Some educators embrace access to smartphone learning apps more than others, and students and administrators agree the flexible system is working.  

Meanwhile, younger students at Kalispell Middle School navigate a stricter cellphone-free policy, which creates more consistent expectations for students who need that structure. 

Kalispell’s variable age-based scenario lines up with national trends. 

“Phone policies vary by child age,” the Commonsense Media report states. “For example, middle schoolers often have stricter rules about not using phones in class, while some high schools allow students more phone use.”  

Instead of focusing on a blanket ban, Gianforte would be more effective to encourage school-based discussions on appropriate cellphone use and providing tools to address the documented harmful behaviors that can develop through endless scrolling and online peer pressure. 

Allowing managed cellphone access at school “is an opportunity for students to learn self-regulation and intentional smartphone usage,” Commonsense Media advises. 

In other words, let’s help teens build healthy habits now so they are better equipped to navigate the pitfalls of technology into their future.