As most of the CCDS community knows, last year we implemented a policy of having no phones during the school day. Many school leaders monitored how this change went for us, as they had thoughts of implementing it in their own schools. One of the schools that will be following our lead this year is Seven Hills High School. After speaking with a few high school students about their thoughts on this change, I think its safe to say that the majority of students are feeling apprehensive about this policy, much like a lot of CCDS was; however, they also understand and recognize the benefits that might come of it.
Similarly to how it happens at CCDS, students at Seven Hills will be asked to turn their phones into their advisor before school, and they will receive them at 3:10 right before school ends. They will also not be allowed to use their phones during passing times, breaks, and lunch. If they are caught using their cell phone without permission, the school will take necessary disciplinary action. I asked the students how they felt last year, knowing that CCD was doing this policy while they did not yet have to follow it themselves. A current senior, N.R., told me that, “seeing other schools enact more restrictive measure regarding cell phones at first made me nervous that our school would pursue such a policy.” After a short reflection, he added, “Hearing about other schools’ cell phone policies made me consider the rampant student phone usage at my own school. Eventually, a cell phone policy began to sound appealing to me.”
On the flip side, a junior, N.A., told me that he was not a fan of the no phones policy from the start. “I just want to be on my phone during breaks, so hearing that another school didn’t allow that sounded horrible to me,” he commented. Another student, sophomore M.S.D., told me that she had the wrong idea about what the policy was before it came to Seven Hills, and because of that, she wasn’t worried about it. She remarked, “Most no cellphone policies I heard about were that students just don’t get to have it out in class. That was pretty similar to the rules we already followed, and it made sense to me. I didn’t know that the policy would mean we couldn’t have our phones during breaks as well.”
Following up on my last question, I then asked the students how they felt about the policy now, knowing that their school will be pursuing this as well. Several students told me things such as, “I think it’s a little overkill,” or “I’m really scared about how it will work.” One of the other students, though, told me that he is curious to see if there is a shift in social life at Seven Hills without the distraction of phones. He added that “most of the time, our students spend their free bells on social media, cutting them off from the students around them.” In particular, he said that he used to find it frustrating when he’d go to sit with someone during a free bell. “They don’t engage with anyone,” he commented. “They’re too busy bombarding their Snapchat friends with grainy photos of their forehead.” He is optimistic that this will change with the new policy. I asked the same student how he thinks not having a phone will change his day-to-day life at school and he replied, “I don’t use my phone much at school anyway, so it won’t affect me personally much, although I expect to see a great increase in social interaction.”
N.A. was able to point out both some things he is apprehensive about and some potential benefits of having a new no phone policy. He shared that one reason he thinks it may be bad is that it may limit the speed with which students can contact their parents. He said, “most of the time I text my parents if I need something since it’s easier and faster than email.” On the other hand, he believes that Seven Hills will become a tighter knit community because of this policy and the fact that it will make students more likely to interact with their classmates and teachers. M.S.D. also opened up to me about some of her concerns regarding this new policy. “At school we use our phones for music and studying during free blocks/study halls, as well as to text our friends to find a place to eat for lunch, etc.,” she said.
She made an interesting point that many others did not seem to consider, saying, “It will definitely impact my personal ability to study and connect with my friends. I use my phone for some things that are central to my work routine and having to change that may prove difficult.” She went on to say, “I am also worried about the safety of so many people’s phones in the same container, and the potential of losing it. We would also have no access to our phones in an emergency and would have to get out our iPads and email our parents if we wanted to let them know we were safe.” Though some CCDS students may know that many of these issues become less scary once the policy has been in place a while, I’m sure they can also identify with these Seven Hills students and understand that change is difficult.
Finally, I asked the students what they thought their average phone screen time was during the school day in the 2023/2024 school year. One person estimated that their non-school related screen time was about 30-45 minutes, while another student said it was about 3 hours. They said that they would mainly use their phones during their free bells, but occasionally during passing bells and lunch as well. All in all, many Seven Hills students are not “excited” for their new phone policy, but they do realize that it may have a positive impact on the community and strengthen social connections. Last year, Cincinnati Country Day School became one of the leaders in adopting a policy of having no phones during the school day. As other high schools take on this shift in their day-to-day lifestyle, it becomes apparent that this policy may be sticking around, and not just at CCDS.
