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Banning The Use Of Cell Phones In Schools

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The significant amount of time students spends on their electronic devices is affecting their learning at school. Some schools have banned the use of cell phones. A study at the University of Texas and Louisiana has shown solid proof of exam scores increased by six percent with the restriction on cell phone use. As stated in the Time's piece (ref., University of Texas, Louisiana State University), “We found the impact of banning phones for these students equivalent to an additional hour a week in school, or to increasing the school year by five days,” the study’s authors wrote on the academic blog, The Conversation. In other words, students have been dedicating more time to school when phones were banned. Besides test scores on average increasing, the benefits also include less misconduct amongst the students. It is suggested that the overuse of technology result in negative impacts to mental health. According to Dr. Becker, "The highest cell phone usage occurs during the night which correlates with increased sleep deprivation" (Becker, 2015, slide 8). This is due to people staying up longer and later using a device, stressing over missed call or text, interrupting notifications like calls, texts, or alerts, backlighting, and so on (Becker, 2015, slide 8). People who use a cell phone at the most are reported a higher risk for mental health symptoms, such as insomnia, stress, and depression (Becker, 2015, slide 8). Some direct links of this causation are suggested to be

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