Audrey Glander

David 4th hour

15 May 2016
Argumentative Essay
The problems of a single cell phone
As a biology professor said, My phone is this box I carry in my pocket with endless
possibilities, endless possibilities to make plans, endless possibilities to google things, endless,
distracting possibilities (Anisha Maheshwari). With the various advances in technology today,
there are endless reasons as to why kids in school are doing worse. The use of cell phones in
school today is one of the many causes of failing students.
Ellen Airhart had stated that college students must handle the responsibility of managing
their own time and resources, which often means making sure cell phones dont distract from
study time (Airhart). Many apps such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are only
increasing the cell phones ability to defeat school motivation. An assistant economics professor
at UT said, maybe these students have higher cost of self-control, and therefore phones can be
very distracting, maybe higher-ability students find it easier to self-discipline and are therefore
less likely to be distracted (Murphy). Studies have shown that kids, who spend less time on their
phones, and social media, are better at self-advocating. Many schools will not ban the use of cell
phones in their own classrooms because they want to trust that their students that they will be
self-controlled enough to not be distracted by their phone. Murphy has also said, The presence
of phones does impede learning, so maybe when youre studying you dont want to be constantly
checking your phone (Murphy).

Studies show that A schools phone policies evolved since 2001, with some opting to completely
ban smart phones, school test scores improved by an average of 6.4 percent. The increase in
scores from underachieving students was starker as they show their scores increased by an
average of 14 percent ( LaCasse). By 2013, 78 percent of kids ages 12 to 17 owned a cell
phone, of which 47 percent were smartphones. By cutting out the time one spends on their cell
phone daily, students are getting an hour back every day for improving on learning and study
habits. Not only test scores, but study habits are also increasing. The less time kids spend on their
phone, the more motivation they have to learn.
Cell phones also have a huge impact on childrens lives, Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman stated
what we found is that parents would look at their childrens phone after a suicide and see all the
distress their child was experiencing. With everything one can do on social media, suicide rates
have increased, along with cyberbullying. Once someone puts something out there, it will always
be out there. The latest suicide report by the Massachusetts department of public health indicates
that 90 state residents ages 5 to 24 killed themselves in 2012. Studies show that kids who use less
social media are more content than the kids who are attached to their cell phones. With more and
more kids constantly on social media in school, the more negative stuff is put out there, making
these kids think its acceptable to do that.
In some ways, a persons cell phone can help with learning. Many new apps have helpful
ways to make learning easier; many teachers embrace using phones in class to conduct quick
surveys, serving as calculators or to access the internet, now there are phone apps that let
students connect with interactive whiteboards at the front of the classroom (Leslie Brody &

Sonja Sharp). Most parents think its safer for their child to have a cell phone in case of
emergency. Most kids can only use their cell phone during certain times of the school day.
There are more negative issues with cell phones in school rather than positive issues. The
more teachers and schools that stop the use of cell phones in their classes, result in better
educations. Kids have better motivation and ability to learn when they are not distracted by a cell
phone. At the end of the day, the students that use the least amount of cell phone time are more
likely to be successful.

Works cited

Works cited
Works cited

Airhart, Ellen. "Cell Phones Hinder Struggling Students." University Wire. 19 Nov. 2015: n.p. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
LaCasse, Alexander. "Could Smartphone Bans Help Students Achieve More?." Christian Science
Monitor. 18 May 2015: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Cell Phones in School." ProQuest LLC. 2016: n.pag. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.