The Why Behind the New Cell Phone Rule in North Carolina

Students Anna Tran, Julianne Bagley, and Keatyn Wuest enter in the main gym after Freshman Orientation. Freshman received clarifying information about new policies that allow them limited access to cell phones at school as health professionals seek to curb use among teens. Photo Credit: Watauga Yearbook Staff.

Lillon Henline, Feature Desk Lead to The Powderhorn

In classrooms across North Carolina, the constant buzz of cell phones has reached beyond a distraction for students--- it has become a source of social and sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and even addiction.

Teenagers may view cellphones as an outlet for entertainment and communication, but parents, professionals, and doctors have recognized the growing issues surrounding cell phone usage. These issues captured the attention of legislators in North Carolina and changes made in the school system are here to stay.

With the recent bill, House Bill 959, passed by legislation, requiring students to store away their phone during class time, students might be left wondering why this device they hold almost constantly now has to be silenced and stored away during class. 

Within the past 15 years, cell phones have become the new norm among all generations but specifically teenagers. The Anxious Generation written by Jonathan Haidt captured the attention of policy members in North Carolina and these leaders concluded that change in school settings was essential for the future. In response, they adopted model legislation that caught both parties' support in the General Assembly. Many local districts had already taken steps toward such policies, but the new law implements them statewide.

“Unless you're used to following what happens in the North Carolina legislature, that amount of agreement is astounding. I follow a lot of pediatric-related bills and it's hard to get people to agree on this level,” stated Dr. Scott St. Clair, a local pediatrician, in a recent presentation at Watauga High School where he addressed the new cell phone policy prior to the school year.

This bipartisan agreement indicates the gravity of this serious issue officials, professionals, and parents have noticed stems from our devices. In his presentation, St. Clair discussed the negative effects that may be overlooked by many individuals. He identified four main effects of cellphone usage, which together help explain why the state made this decision.

“From my standpoint as a doctor, I work with kids facing mental health challenges, and it’s important to recognize where many of these challenges originate and understand all four effects of cell phone usage,” stated St. Clair.  

Of these mental health challenges, St. Clair emphasized the impact on social deprivation, noting how screen time can affect the amount of time children and teenagers are spending interacting with one another. 

“As kids grow up, that friend-set is a massive part of their life experience,” said St. Clair. “You've got more time to spend with your friends than you do the rest of your life. Your friends can be a source of joy, a way to blow off steam, or even an outlet to help destress.” 

Social interaction and individual connections are crucial growing up. This alone is not the only element of isolation. Another side effect of the overuse of cell phones is sleep disturbance, which is even more significant to the health and development of teenagers.

“In a book called Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, he talks about sleeping, the time when your body rests and repairs,” said St. Clair. “From a brain standpoint, it's where your body processes everything happening in your brain, taking out the trash and cleaning things out so you can start the next day fresh.” 

Without enough sleep, teens’ brains can’t process the day properly, leaving them mentally and physically disadvantaged.

“Kids who are significantly sleep deprived are getting robbed of the ability to emotionally process how their day is going,” stated St. Clair. 

While sleep deprivation may occur outside the school day, St. Clair included it to illustrate the broader effects of cell phones and why it is important for schools to monitor their use. Attention fragmentation is another side effect St. Clair highlighted in his presentation. 

“On average, students are receiving 240 notifications a day, which if you consolidate that into the waiting time, that's one notification every four minutes when they're awake. That makes it extremely hard to pay attention,” said St. Clair. “That's one of the reasons why teenagers are struggling with focus. It’s because they're constantly getting bombarded with notifications and feeling the urge to look on their phone.”

As St. Clair emphasized, students are constantly being pulled in by their cell phone. Whether that's notifications or entertainment, teenagers struggle with being present. 

“We all know the sensation of sitting there feeling bored, stressed, or even sad,” stated St. Clair. “These are all things that humans have been experiencing before cell phones occurred. The problem now is instead of developing tools and skills to deal with those quiet moments, the vice just immediately comes in and we don't have the skills and ability to deal with that.”

This inability to cope with boredom or stress can lead directly to addiction. This means students’ first resort is to turn to their phones for an escape or instant relief- a response driven by the release of dopamine in the brain.

“As soon as you stop using your phone, your dopamine levels begin to decline. We experience that as a sensation of pain,” said St. Clair. “So what do we do? We pick it back up. Next time you pick it back up, though, you need something a little stronger and longer to get that same sensation. So, the whole day is being driven with devices that cause our dopamine levels to undergo constant change.”

The inability to cope with boredom and constant distraction is what leads to phone addiction. Teenagers become more focused on their devices and the issue continues to grow. Through each negative effect, legislators in North Carolina decided it was time to make a change within our school systems in hopes to better each and every student. 

“When you take kids, particularly during a critical moment of development in their life, and you drive them to friends, drive them to sleep, constantly distract them, hack into their dopamine, it is definitely going to have an impact on how they are experiencing their life as kids and teens," said St. Clair. "There's no question."