Cell Phones Should Not Be Allowed in School: An

Argumentative Essay

In this essay, I am going to discuss why cell phones should not be allowed in schools, and how
banning cell phones in schools will benefit us in many ways.

Students, according to this new rule, will be required to switch off their phones and store them
securely in lockers from the start of the school day until the final bell. When emergencies occur,
parents or guardians can reach their child by calling the school. Cell phones will be banned for all
students at Victorian state primary and secondary schools from Term 1 2020, to help reduce
distraction, tackle cyber bullying and improve learning outcomes for students.

One reason for the restrictions is due to the fact that cell phones are often a major source of
cyberbullying. This problem is serious to the point that Headspace estimates that at least 53% of teens
have been cyberbullied at some point during their school years. In addition, to address this problem,
which infects so many young people, the Labor Party has invested $51.2 million to ensure that every
public high school has a medical practitioner to help address any mental health issues students
experience during their school years, and also another $65.5 million in student health and well-being.

With cell phones being less distracting during school hours, it will also allow students to focus more on
their studies and improve their grades. The Minister of Education said: “This will remove a major
distraction from classrooms, so that the teachers are able to teach, and students are able to learn in a
more focused, supportive and positive environment”. Students have shown to increase their test
results by 6% since they have been more concentrated in class without their phones.

Also, I think that the government, by making this change in Australian secondary schools, is also
helping children in terms of reducing the amount of time they spend in front of a screen per day. If
children spend a lot of time in front of a screen a day, it may cause them to develop diseases caused
by the blue light filter over time, which may also affect students' sleep. Since the maximum amount of
screen time for teens these days should be at least 2 hours, introducing this new rule will be very
beneficial and will obviously reduce screen time.

Overall, I believe that there are more advantages than disadvantages in banning cell phones in
schools, so it will be better for children and the entire educational process if cell phones are not
allowed in schools.