SHESPEAKS Your Power to Influence

If your child is not doing well in school the answer may be to take away the smartphone. A recent study (which is bound to be unpopular among teens) suggests that schools that have a ban on phones see a big improvement in test scores among students.

CNN reports about the study conducted in England by economists Richard Murphy and Louis-Philippe Beland. After studying the way phone policies have changed since 2001 in almost 100 different schools housing 130,000 students Murphy and Beland found that the schools that chose to ban phones saw a whopping 14% improvement in school exams in students who were previously deemed as underachievers. Overall, these schools with phone bans saw a 6.4% improvement in test scores.

The study explains, “The results suggest that low-achieving students are more likely to be distracted by the presence of mobile phones, while high achievers can focus in the classroom regardless of the mobile phone policy.”

Though there are plenty of new technologies and apps that promote educational learning, researchers believe that there are far too many other distractions like texting and social media apps on phones that may lure a teen away from learning. Murphy and Beland explain exactly what banning smartphones in school can mean for a child who tends to struggle. They say, “We found the impact of banning phones for these students equivalent to an additional hour a week in school, or to increasing the school year by five days.”

What do you think of the study that suggests banning phones in school can have a positive impact on learning?

Do you think it would also be helpful for teens to limit phone use at home?