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Comment by wafflemaker

12 days ago

I know it would complicate things a lot, but are we sure it's smartphones and not social media / "not educational" websites being the issue?

If I had a phone with calendar and a to do list, when at school, I might have fared better.

Can we be sure it's social media at all? Or is it a behavior issue? Does it matter if they are watching tiktok or mucking with a calendar if they aren't participating in class?

Enforcement will likely come down to don't do stupid shit with your phone or risk losing it. Ignoring class for a phone is stupid shit regardless of what's on the screen.

Student planners are paper calendars and to do lists. One can have these things without a CPU, RAM, and a network connection.

You're describing the improper use of any tool. I would have liked to bring a penknife to school to sharpen pencils, but it's probably good that they were banned.

A smartphone isn’t just a calendar and todo list. I don’t think even blocking just social media is enough in schools as the devices offer plenty of other distractions.

There are enough offline alternative for that, including paper based. Although I keep telling her it can't possibly be good in the long term for her skin, my eldest daughter keeps writing her homework tasks on her skin.

I think you underestimate how attractive socializing with your friends is. My niece's school uses chromebooks and they spend a lot of time using google chat with eachother during class.