Friday, March 28, 2025
Last month, as the semester began, I informed my students that cellphones would not be allowed in my classrooms. I said this with sympathy, understanding the world they’ve grown up in.
When I became a professor in 1978, cellphones didn’t exist in the form they do today. Today, however, students seem more attached to their phones than to anything else — perhaps second only to their cars if they’re of driving age. The obsessive use of these devices is impacting the way they engage with their environment, especially in class.
Smartphones, once a luxury, have become essential tools for navigating the digital society. I empathize with my students, because it’s not their fault that they’ve become tethered to these devices. Phones are essential tools for everything from managing schedules to staying connected with the world. But while they offer many conveniences, they also present challenges, particularly in the classroom. They are distractions, constant and pervasive.
In my course syllabi, I’m blunt about cellphone use. I state in capital letters: “SMARTPHONES AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC DEVICES, BECAUSE THEY DIVERT A STUDENT’S ATTENTION, ARE NOT TO BE USED DURING CLASS. PLEASE PUT YOUR SMARTPHONE OR SIMILAR DEVICES AWAY AND FORGET ABOUT TEXTING OR CHECKING EMAIL DURING CLASS.” It’s a rule I’ve adopted out of necessity. Using a cellphone during class disrupts not only the student using it but also their peers.
Recently, Gov. Kathy Hochul took a commendable step by announcing plans to limit smartphone use by students in public schools, and to implement a statewide standard for distraction-free learning.
“Young people succeed in the classroom when they’re learning and growing — not clicking and scrolling,” Hochul said. She acknowledged that the initiative might make her “very unpopular,” but emphasized the necessity of protecting students’ education.
Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, an addiction expert and clinical professor at Stony Brook University, offers a powerful perspective on this issue. He’s the author of “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids — and How to Break the Trance.” Kardaras writes that society has made a “Faustian deal” embracing digital technology: Devices like smartphones and tablets offer extraordinary benefits, but come with significant costs.
“Yes, we have these amazing handheld marvels of the digital age — tablets and smartphones — miraculously glowing devices that connect people throughout the globe and can literally access the sum of all human knowledge in the palm of our hand,” Kardaras writes. “But what is the price of all this future tech? The psyche and soul of an entire generation.”
This is a chilling assertion, but Kardaras’s concerns are backed by growing research into the neurological and psychological effects of excessive screen time.
He suggests that the “comfort and titillation” of digital devices have led to an entire generation becoming “zombified” by their glowing screens. I’ve seen this firsthand as a professor. Walk into any restaurant, schoolyard or public place, and it’s common to see kids and teens with their heads down, lost in their phones.
Their faces glow from the screens, but their eyes seem distant, disconnected from the real world around them.
Kardaras emphasizes the importance of a “digital detox,” or “tech fast,” as the first step in breaking the addiction to screens. He believes it’s vital for children to replace screen time with enriching, offline activities such as sports, music or creative endeavors like painting. He also stresses the importance of human connection — something that’s increasingly endangered in an era of constant digital interaction.
I share this perspective with my students. While I recognize that cellphones are ubiquitous and essential in today’s world, I also believe they need to be used thoughtfully. Parking a car today, for example, often requires a cellphone app. I get it — the world is digital, and adjusting to life without a phone in hand is increasingly challenging. But in the classroom, the need for focus and engagement is paramount, and that often means putting the phone away.
“I’m from the 21st century,” one student recently explained to me. I appreciated the sentiment, but I still believe some adjustments are necessary. It’s not about rejecting technology, but about fostering an environment in which students can engage with the material, their classmates and the world around them without constant digital distractions.
The digital society may have arrived, but so, too, must the discipline to navigate it effectively. For the sake of education and personal well-being, we must learn when to disconnect.
Karl Grossman is a professor of journalism at SUNY Old Westbury, host of the Free Speech TV program “Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman” and the author of six books.
