On phones and laptops, colleges should follow schools’ lead and shut them down

The kids are not all right.

That’s the big takeaway from a recent survey of American teenagers by Common Sense Media, a children’s advocacy group. Just one-third of respondents between ages 12 and 17 said things were going well for them. The rest reported being bored in school, disengaged from politics, and struggling to maintain their mental health.

And guess what? When asked about the main cause for declining mental health, the largest number mentioned the negative effect of social media; the next largest cited bullying, much of which takes place online.

That comes on the heels of last year’s report by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who cited social media as an important cause of youth mental health problems. And earlier this year, at a congressional hearing, politicians of both parties blamed several tech titans — including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg — for fueling the rise in teen suicide, eating disorders, and much else.

Meanwhile, in a Pew Research Center survey in April, nearly three-quarters of high school teachers said that students being distracted by their cell phones in the classroom was a “major problem.”

That’s why a growing number of schools are banning cell phones in class or even on campus. This year, eight states instituted laws or rules to limit phone use in schools. And of the nation’s 20 largest school districts, 14 forbid phones or impose substantial restrictions, such as prohibiting phones when classes are in session.

They report stronger academic engagement and — surprise! — happier students, who converse more authentically with each other. “Now people can’t really be, like, ‘Oh, look at me on Instagram. This is who I am,’” remarked a student at a Florida high school that prohibited cell phones during the school day. “It has helped people be who they are — instead of who they are online — in school.”

So why aren’t universities taking a cue from our schools?

College students have been experiencing mental health problems, too, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re having difficulties sleeping, studying, and relating to others. And research has shown that increased cell phone use among college students is associated with, yes, anxiety and unhappiness.

It also brings down their grades, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Back in 2011, 92% of surveyed college students admitted using their cell phones to send text messages during class. And in a 2015 survey, students reported using digital devices for nonacademic purposes 11.7 times per day in class, accounting for 21% of their overall time in class.

Those devices include laptops, of course, which inhibit learning even when you’re focused on the lesson. Research has shown that students taking notes in a lecture class with pen and paper — as opposed to their laptops — perform better on tests about the lecture. They need to think about what to write down; they don’t simply transcribe what was said, as laptop users often do.

But the majority of college students use laptops in class. And many of their professors let them surf the web on their computers — or text on their phones — to their hearts’ content.

I used to allow that in my courses at the University of Pennsylvania, where the new semester started up last week. My students are adults; they can vote in elections and die in wars. If they want to distract themselves with shoe shopping or sports scores, I reasoned, it’s up to them.

Then I found the research showing that students learned less when people sitting next to them were using laptops. And that changed everything. You may have a right to distract yourself, but you have no right — none — to distract someone else.

I went cold turkey: no laptops, phones, or tablets in class. Of course, I’ll make an exception if someone has a learning difference that requires them to use a device. Otherwise, though, you have to put away your electronics when you walk through the door.

The first time I mandated that, the students pushed back. We’re digital natives, they said. Don’t make us go back to the analog world!

Students are burned out on screens, and they know it. My class provides a brief but welcome respite from all of that.

Especially since the pandemic, however, I’ve gotten nothing but positive reactions. The students are burned out on screens, and they know it. My class provides a brief but welcome respite from all of that.

And once the devices are off, they pay more attention — not just to the course material, but to their classmates. “Professor Zimmerman runs a tech-free classroom, and students actually look at each other!” one of my students wrote last year, in their evaluation of the class. That’s because nobody is looking down at their phones, of course, or squinting into their computers.

I took the comment as a compliment, but it also made me incredibly sad. We have let social media companies dominate our students’ attention and — let’s just say it — their socialization as human beings. Instead of looking at each other, they look at images of people who seem richer, sexier, and happier than they are. No wonder so many of them are depressed.

I’m under no illusion that my no-technology rule can remedy that. But it surely helps my students learn more, and it also gives them a break from their screens. They look at each other and at me. And we are happy, if only for an hour or two.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of “The Amateur Hour: A History of College Teaching in America” and eight other books.