Focus. A hard thing to have, and a hard thing to do. What makes it even worse is a phone in your hand, especially where focus matters the most: in the classroom.

At the start of this school year, South implemented a stricter phone policy: all phones were to be put in the caddy before class, unless access was permitted by a teacher. While some of my classmates were quick to protest, I thought this was not only a necessary course of action—it was the right one.

Common Sense, a nonprofit organization designed to help improve the lives of kids and families, talks about the struggle teachers are going through to keep students on task in the classroom. In their research, 53% of tweens (ages 8-12) and 69% of teens (ages 13-18) reported that using social media distracts them from when they should be doing work for school. 

This kind of constant stimulation doesn’t just hurt focus—it rewires our ability to be present in class. The more time we spend glued to our phones, the harder it is to pay attention, retain what we learn in school, and think critically. It also reduces attention span which severely affects our ability to grasp and memorize information.

Taking assertive steps like the phone ban also protects the mental health of  teenagers. Research from the Johns Hopkins School of Education found that constant phone use contributes to anxiety, isolation, and sleep issues among teens. Social media isn’t just distracting—it’s draining. 

The constant pressure to be available and respond to the social media world is taxing. The immense amount of time spent looking at a screen could be used much more productively. When we put our phones away, even just for class periods, we also give ourselves space to reset, interact face-to-face, and think without the pressure of texts, likes, or doom-scrolling. 

“[Schools] are supposed to educate children, many of whom have still not caught up from Covid learning loss, while in a battle for attention with fantastically entertaining computers,” David Leonhardt, from the New York Times, reported. “A growing body of academic research suggests it isn’t going well.”

That’s why policies like this are more than just rules—they’re a course correction. In a world where attention is constantly influenced, choosing to limit phones is choosing to invest in learning, in relationships, and in ourselves. It’s a small step, but one that sets a powerful example; focus matters, and so do we.