{"id":171296,"date":"2024-06-12T14:55:51","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&#038;p=171296"},"modified":"2024-06-12T14:55:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:55:52","slug":"72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/06\/12\/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8b857e\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8b857e;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?resize=1280,720 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_feature.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Two teenage girls take a break from their schoolwork to play with a smart phone.\" class=\"wp-image-171304 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(SDI Productions via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced that she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/article\/2024\/may\/30\/new-york-smartphone-school-ban-bill\">will introduce legislation to ban smartphones in schools<\/a> during her state\u2019s 2025 legislative session. She cited the impact that social media and technology can have on youth, including leaving them \u201ccut off from human connection, social interaction and normal classroom activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hochul\u2019s legislative push comes as K-12 teachers in the United States face challenges around students\u2019 cellphone use, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in fall 2023. One-third of public K-12 teachers say <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2024\/04\/04\/challenges-in-the-classroom\/\">students being distracted by cellphones<\/a> is a major problem in their classroom, and another 20% say it\u2019s a minor problem.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following news that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking to ban smartphones in schools, Pew Research Center published this analysis to examine how K-12 teachers and teens in the United States feel about cellphones, including the use of cellphones at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This analysis is based on two recent Center surveys, one of public K-12 teachers in the U.S. and the other of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17. More information about these surveys, including their field dates, sample sizes and other methodological details, is available at the links in the text.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=171300\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efece4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"762\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_1.png?resize=480,590 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_1.png?resize=620,762 620w\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_1.png?w=620\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that high school teachers most likely to say cellphone distraction is a major problem.\" class=\"wp-image-171300 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efece4; width:310px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High school teachers are especially likely to see cellphones as problematic. About seven-in-ten (72%) say that students being distracted by cellphones is a major problem in their classroom, compared with 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many schools and districts have tried to address this challenge by implementing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/technology\/6-ways-schools-are-managing-students-cellphone-use\/2024\/04\">cellphone policies<\/a>, such as requiring students to turn off their phones during class or give them to administrators during the school day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, 82% of K-12 teachers in the U.S. say <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2024\/04\/04\/challenges-in-the-classroom\/#policies-around-cellphone-use\">their school or district has a cellphone policy<\/a> of some kind. Middle school teachers (94%) are especially likely to say this, followed by elementary (84%) and high school (71%) teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=171301\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4e8e1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_2.png?resize=480,462 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_2.png?resize=782,752 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_2.png?resize=840,808 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"616\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_2.png?w=640\" alt=\"A diverging bar chart showing that most high school teachers say cellphone policies are hard to enforce.\" class=\"wp-image-171301 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e8e1; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, 30% of teachers whose schools or districts have cellphone policies say they are very or somewhat difficult to enforce. High school teachers are more likely than their peers to report that enforcing these policies is difficult. Six-in-ten high school teachers in places with a cellphone policy say this, compared with 30% of middle school teachers and 12% of elementary school teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our survey asked teachers about cellphones in general, whereas Hochul\u2019s plan would apply only to smartphones. Even so, nearly all U.S. teenagers ages 13 to 17 \u2013 95% \u2013 say they <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2023\/12\/11\/teens-social-media-and-technology-2023\/#device-usage-smartphones-computers-gaming-consoles-and-tablets\">have access to a smartphone<\/a>, according to a separate Center survey from 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even as some policymakers and teachers see downsides to smartphones, teens tend to view the devices as a more positive than negative thing in their lives overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=171299\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dadedf\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_3.png?resize=480,302 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_3.png?resize=782,492 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_3.png?resize=840,528 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"402\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.12_CellphonesInSchools_3.png?w=640\" alt=\"A diverging bar chart showing that most teens say the benefits of smartphones outweigh the harms for people their age.\" class=\"wp-image-171299 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dadedf; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seven-in-ten teens ages 13 to 17 say there are generally more benefits than harms to <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2024\/03\/11\/how-teens-and-parents-approach-screen-time\/#do-teens-think-smartphones-are-negatively-impacting-young-people\">people their age using smartphones<\/a>, while three-in-ten say the opposite. And 45% of teens say smartphones make it easier for people their age to do well in school, compared with 23% who say they make it harder. Another 30% say smartphones don\u2019t affect teens\u2019 success in school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some 72% of high school teachers say that students being distracted by cellphones is a major problem in their 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