Here are some of the initial reactions or experiences that U-High students have had regarding the new phone ban.
“It has limited a lot of the ways I can interact with my friends and coordinate plans. Especially as someone who lives far away, I rely on my phone to coordinate what’s going on, so during the day it is hard to do that.”
— Kate Ryan, senior
“Honestly, I thought it was going to be really bad, but it’s kind of the same.”
— Ryan De Jong, senior
“The phone ban is not my favorite, but I respect it because it gives us an opportunity to learn.”
— Asha Reynolds-Stewart, junior
“In my personal opinion, I have been kind of sad because being able to have your phone gives you the ability to connect with friends. But, there is also the aspect that I think I have been more focused in school, and I have also been more aware of the things that are going on in school.”
— Ty Quiles, senior
“I feel like it’s OK because I need to focus in class, so at least I won’t be distracted in class. I feel like it’s a little odd that you can’t have it in the hallway because I like to listen to music.”
— Laurel Farmer, junior
“At first, I thought it was bad because I wanted to be on my phone a lot, but after the first day, I’ve realized that it’s helped me talk to my friends in person more.”
— Armand Listoe, ninth grader
“I was honestly shocked because I know that America is not the safest country, and I feel like having a phone would honestly make it safer and more comfortable for me at school.”
— Zahra Ansari, ninth grader
“I think it has its ups and downs. My initial thought was it’s good that people will kind of be forced into talking to each other more, but at the same time, I do think it makes a lot of things way less convenient to do.”
— Paxton Cooper, junior
“I personally don’t like it because I think it does nothing whatsoever. They’re trying to limit scrolling so people talk more, but the people who scroll are just gonna do it on their computers.”
— Nikhil Unadkat, sophomore
“I understand why the phone ban was instituted, but I think that the way that they instituted it feels patronizing, although I understand that there’s not necessarily a better way to go about it. I also don’t think that it’s gonna actually change much, especially because the majority of the people that are on their devices during class are on their computers, and those haven’t been banned.”
— Agnes Flatley, sophomore
“When I first heard about it, I was like, ‘Oh, just my luck, going into high school and they have a phone ban now,’ but honestly, it’s not a big difference from middle school. I’m used to not having a phone around so I’m not really that fazed. I understand that people are more upset because they were looking forward to being able to use their phones more freely during high school.
— Claire Dong, ninth grader
“I’m fine with it, but free and lab periods feel a bit weird. Also with the other schools that banned phones parents have already been voicing safety concerns. I feel like if you need your phone urgently, you won’t be able to get it out of your backpack, so you should at least be able to have it in your pocket in case anything dangerous happens.”
— Tommy Barclay, junior
“It doesn’t really affect me because I don’t really bring my phone to school, but most people definitely dislike it. The policies feel more like they were made for middle school students. It’s a bit infantilizing. I’m 18 years old and they’re telling me to give them my phone.”
— Graeme MacKay-White, senior
“Honestly, I personally don’t mind it that much. I think it makes people socialize more. You can’t really just put your head down on your phone in the hallway, you kind of gotta make small talk and put yourself in uncomfortable situations.”
— Mikey Skolarus, junior
