According to a New York Post article, the faculty at Buxton School, a high school in northwest Massachusetts, noticed that as smartphone usage increased, the sense of community deteriorated and students stopped interacting with one another when in-person classes started following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since they spent so much time on their cell phones, according to Head of School Peter Beck, the children had entirely forgotten the basics of face-to-face conversation. The student’s capacity to sit or be with other individuals was utterly lost, he continued, and they had trouble speaking with one another.
The faculty of the school made the decision to impose a smartphone ban in response to all of this. Students, faculty, and staff are all forbidden from using iPhones and Androids on the 114-acre campus due to an institution-wide embargo. According to the outlet, it was implemented at the beginning of the academic year this past September and has been a huge success thus far.
While boarding students must leave their phones in the school coordinator’s office until the conclusion of the semester, nearby students must leave their phones at home. The pupils are not entirely cut off from the outside world, though. According to The Post, each student received a Light Phone, a stylish device with few capabilities. It has the ability to send and receive basic SMS and calls. On its website, the company states that it won’t ever have social media, clickbait news, email, a web browser, or any other anxiety-inducing infinite feed.
Additionally, it is mentioned that after school, students can access social media on desktop computers. The ban has enhanced the school’s social and academic climate.
Additionally, a faculty member mentioned how few students now ask permission to use the restroom. They contend that most frequently, students went to the bathroom to text or check TikTok.
News Mania Desk
