The ‘Single Greatest Hindrance’ to Learning
Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Last week, I asked readers if parents should stop giving their children smartphones before high school.
Replies have been edited for length and clarity.
Eric is a teacher. He writes:
Cell phones are the single biggest addiction, obsession, and obstacle to learning, maturing, and socializing that I have seen in almost 20 years as an educator. Most students—hell, most adults—are powerless to resist the temptation to stay continually connected to their phones. Students know better than anyone just how distracting and disruptive they are, and, if being honest, will almost unanimously say that they are better students and people when their phone is out of sight. The fact that more schools do not help students by removing the single greatest hindrance to the educational experience we have ever seen is baffling, and it will not be seen favorably by those who look back at it.
Elizabeth is the mother of 9-year-old twins:
We are in Barcelona this year, and my daughters attend a school where phones are not allowed. They simply tell students to leave their phones (if they have them) at home. Kids play and talk during recess. The second day of school I arrived to take my daughters to an appointment. I found them walking around the school yard holding hands with a
