Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Tennessee school students are two weeks into the new academic year, and already law enforcement and educators are raising the alarm about students using their phones for less than productive purposes.

How to handle students and smartphones is an enigma that school districts throughout the nation are struggling to address, but the current status quo cannot continue to stand.

Lauderdale, Florida County Sheriff Ward Calhoun told local elected officials Monday that the school resource officers stationed at county schools were already dealing with instances of cyberbullying, threats and other forms of digital delinquency that tie up valuable time and resources. Across the country, California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week sent a letter to school districts encouraging them to restricts cell phone use by students while on campus joining South Carolina, Utah, Florida and Louisiana, which have taken similar measures, the Associated Press reported.

Smartphones pose a problem for education on several fronts. With answers for just about every question a few quick taps away, the temptation to tap into that knowledge is a threat to students’ academic integrity. Not only are we all walking around with calculators in our pockets — despite our teachers’ predictions — we also have the ability to get solutions to complex calculus and physics equations by simply asking our phones for the answers.

Questions about history, geography, civics or the sciences are all vulnerable to a quick “Hey, Siri,” and with artificial intelligence becoming more and more common, the more creative subjects, such as English composition, music and art, are fast becoming targets.

Phones are also a distraction, and teens can easily get sidetracked by an app, game or video that keeps them from learning.

Although phones open up a world of knowledge and possibility to our students, not everyone uses those tools with good intentions. In 2023, a report from the U.S. Surgeon General found widespread use of social media by teens and young adults comes with an increased risk of poor mental health. The report found high social media use, of three hours per day or more, was linked to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, low self esteem, poor body image and more.

Students bringing their smartphones to school will undoubtably be an ongoing issue on the local, state and national level, and those districts that implement bans will face the daunting challenge of then enforcing that rule.

Until then, it is up to parents to help their children learn healthy social media habits, instill the value of integrity and teach the importance of a good education. Or just make them leave their phones at home.