By Caden Gilbert
Everyone likes to be on their phones, society today has normalized it. But it has gotten to a point where it has affected not just the youth but everyone. But the youth specifically are the ones who are most affected. According to The Mercury News, “excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.” This may be one of the reasons as to why Benicia High now requires students to put their phones up on a rack every class. But there are also downsides to doing this as well. If there is a sudden emergency with a student’s family, they wouldn’t be able to be contacted. Or if there was a threat to the school and it went on lockdown, students won’t have their phones. But aside from this, there are also some benefits to putting cell phones away. Students are essentially forced to stay focused on their work and their mind won’t be on their phone as much.
One thing that seems to be unfair about this new rule is not being able to have phones during Access. This is unfair to students because Access is a free period to get work done or just relax. If a student has no work that needs to be done and is sitting in Access, they should be allowed to go on their phones. Though they shouldn’t abuse being able to be on their phones, students should have the right to go on their phones during their only free period. Being off of your phone can prove to be better for your mental health, and students should learn how to pace their phone use so they don’t spend too much time on their phones at once. Students collectively have expressed the view that the new rule about cell phones can be unfair. One way the school could go about it is punishing students for being on their phones too often in class and ignoring warnings by putting them on the rack instead of making it required.
beniciapaw.com 