For years, teachers have wanted to eliminate the use of phones in the classroom, but that problem has transitioned from a classroom rule to a law that every student now has to abide by. As of July 2025, the statewide phone ban has taken effect in North Carolina after being passed into law by governor Josh Stein to forbid students from having cell phones in class; the law only permits students to use their devices for educational purposes, emergencies and health concerns. The phone ban was placed in our schools to ensure that the minds of the student body are completely focused in class, but is the newly formed law for or against students?
The cell phone ban can have positive effects in the right settings, such as during group work or when teachers are lecturing so that students aren’t distracted with other activities. The social atmosphere can also be improved with the new law, as students are forced to be more sociable “IRL” instead of online. By giving students a reasonable excuse to interact with new peers from all over the classroom or even the ones sitting at the same table, the phone ban can, in fact, positively impact students’ socialization skills.
Although the ban sounds like a good idea for new social interaction opportunities and learning experiences, the phone ban alone can’t fix the big problem at hand, the problem being: the willingness of students to follow the rules. Obviously, teachers have rules and regulations for students that don’t want to abide by their policies; for instance, some teachers require putting phones in class pockets or in bookbags until the end of class, with the consequence of getting written up and having the device sent to the office to be picked up at the end of the day if not followed – but these rules really haven’t stopped students before. Parents and staff can’t always expect teenagers to follow the rules due to their lack of care and attention towards their supervisors and their want of free will.
This ban could also help shift the common stereotype of the ‘rebellious teen’ by giving students a chance to render themselves as more reliable, if all teachers would take it seriously as well. Ever since the pandemic hit us in 2020, devices have become a necessary part of school-life such as needing to upload a photo to Canvas or taking pictures of a slideshow before the teacher moves on, and for a while, teachers have been encouraging using phones for those reasons in class. Some teachers have designated times in class when phones are allowed, like during individual work or free time, where students can listen to music with headphones and entertain themselves until the bell rings. Of course, no one expects all teachers to have the exact same rules, but it won’t be effective if a student can’t be on their phone during one class but can be in another. It’s inconsistent and will ultimately not solve anything.
Most importantly, high school students are young adults, which means they have lives outside of school – some work part-time jobs to provide for themselves, others need to assist their families and many are athletes, which means communication is the key for their success. Having such an important device for connections goes far beyond just looking at memes, making TikTok videos, texting and playing mobile games, as they can be necessary in making sure you or a loved one is safe and understood, because if an accident occurs, no one wants to be left on delivered.
