Banning distractions throughout the day might seem like a good solution, but it is not the cure for cell phone addiction.
Carlmont High School recently sent out a survey on Feb. 20 to parents, staff, and students to gather feedback on the phone policy for the 2026-27 school year. The survey presented two options for participants to choose from. Option A, which bans phones for the entire school day, and Option B, which keeps the current policies of allowing phones only during passing periods, breaks, and lunch.
Restricting phones for seven hours a day leaves students 17 hours to go back on their phones, not teaching them self-discipline or control when the final bell rings. Students need to have the freedom to go on their phones outside of instructional time to learn how to manage their screen time responsibly to lessen addiction.
Since teenagers already feel dependent on their phones, such an addiction has become a widespread issue. Approximately 50.4% of teenagers in the U.S. reported feeling addicted to their phones, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While adolescents will have more time to focus in class, banning phones during breaks and lunch prevents students from practicing self-control if they are not allowed to manage their phones. In fact, when students go to college or the workplace, and there is no cell-phone policy, they will be expected to meet a certain standard, making it important to develop self-discipline without restriction.
Because 60% of adolescents mostly use their cell phones from midnight to 5 a.m., according to the Pew Research Center, banning cell phones for the entire school day is not a guaranteed solution. This highlights that an entire-day school ban addresses only a portion of total screen time. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the average screen time for children ages 8-18 was 7.5 hours a day in 2025. Since school hours take up a small portion of the day, limiting usage for that whole time does not stop someone from staying up later to use their phone, which can make addictions worse.
While some may argue that restricting phones for the entire school day is necessary when students need to concentrate, work hard, and improve their communication skills, social interaction can remain high without banning phones. According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of teenagers say they spend time with friends outside of school in person at least occasionally, demonstrating that face-to-face interactions persist, even with the prevalence of technology.
Phone addictions can come from the constant reinforcement of staying connected and social media, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. When people feel rewarded by constantly checking their phones and obtain instant gratification, it can reinforce dopamine pathways and create unhealthy habits that make teenagers consistently reach for a screen to feel satisfied, highlighting how phone usage remains high after school, and banning phones for short periods won’t reduce overall screen time and cannot eradicate addiction.
By not banning phones completely during the school day, students can relax while staying focused in the classroom. Encouraging ways to use phones responsibly, such as having students set small goals to reduce their screen time to lower addiction to phones, can promote a better learning environment and set students up for success.
