There’s a hot new trend this back-to-school season: cellphone bans.
At least eight states have enacted regulations limiting cellphone use in schools so far this year, and many more individual districts and schools have implemented similar policies on their own. The changes are driven by bipartisan concern that teenagers are unable to break away from their phones and concentrate in class, or even just talk to people in real life, as well as growing concern about the pervasive mental health challenges posed by social media.
“At first I thought it was going to be really annoying, but it’s actually not that bad,” said Lev Zitcer, a freshman at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, which is limiting phone use this year. “I think there’s like a different level of communication that comes with, like, being bored.”…