In classrooms, smartphone use is out of control

In today’s Big Story Podcast, this is the first generation of kids to grow up entirely with smartphones in hand. Most of the time, even during school hours. Schools who have tried to ban or regulate their use have mostly failed — with a few notable exceptions. And when teachers have tried to enforce these rules on the ground in their classrooms, it can get ugly.

Naomi Buck wrote about cellphone use in classrooms for The Globe and Mail. She says when it comes to the long-term effects of smartphone use in kids, many questions remain unanswered.

“There is already research to suggest how it is changing their brains, the way they interact and relate to each other, and relate to the world,” says Buck, “but how this will play out in the long term is really unknown.”

Just how addicted are students to their phones? And is there a productive and non-disruptive way to incorporate them into classrooms, or should they be banned in schools outright?

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You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.