On July 9th of this year, Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia enacted Executive Order 33. This executive order stated that the Department of education alongside the Departments of Behavioral Health, Health, and Developmental services must create guidelines, definitions, and rules for cell phone-free learning within the Virginia public schools system. In the order the Governor expresses concern for student mental health and education. But does a phone ban in school solve these problems?
In his executive mandate the Governor states his concern towards the adolescent mental health crisis, citing CDC research that has shown that the suicide rate has “spiked for girls and boys 167% and 91% respectively since 2010 in direct correlation to increased social media usage”. Governor Youngkin also discussed the poor mental health affects students with more screen time on social media apps are likely to have, including an increased risk for anxiety disorders and depression. While the Governor’s belief that limiting phone usage in schools will also limit the overall time adolescents are on their devices isn’t wrong, it may not necessarily reduce the 4.8 hours Virginian teenagers spend on social media daily on average; meaning that many Virginia students may not reap the benefits of having their screen times significantly lessened. Social media may not even be the root of the poor mental health associated with its use, but cyberbullying instead. According to Cyberbullying. Org, 30% of teens have claimed to be bullied online in their lifetime. Bullying online can highlight insecurities, and cause symptoms of depression or anxiety which is exactly what Governor Youngkin is trying to stop.
The Governor also states that phone usage in schools is diminishing student academic performance. The Governor uses a drop in National Assessment scores and uncredited studies that show increased phone usage while in schools correlates to lower grade averages in students. Virginia is ranked 8th nationally for educational attainment and according to the Department of Education’s data in the 2023-2024 school year the pass rate for each subject had either stayed consistent or increased from past years. However, this does not excuse excessive phone use during instruction or over doing classwork and homework. A Central Michigan University study found that while students who managed their phone use and prioritized their work performed well, students who couldn’t control their usage or excessively used their phones saw a drop in their grades.
Governor Younkin has praised some schools for taking initiatives to ban phones already in Virginia and seems to be following the path of the 7 states who have enacted statewide phone bans in schools prior those states being Florida, Minnesota, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, California, and Ohio. Many students across the state are upset with the ban and feel slighted. Parents and students also express concern, especially wanting to stay in contact with their families and friends in case of unfortunate circumstances while in school. Other students express a desire to better integrate cell phone technology into their education instead of banning it. The executive order is set into motion and will come to pass on January 1, 2025 . How do you feel about the ban and is there a better way to handle the issues brought to light?
