In a recent opinion piece in the Austin American-Statesman, a pediatric emergency physician underscores the urgent need to ban cellphones and social media from Texas classrooms. Citing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s advocacy for warning labels on social media, the physician expresses deep concern about the mental health crises increasingly encountered among children, which are often linked to cellphone and social media use.
Over the last decade, there has been a troubling rise in mental health-related visits to emergency departments and suicide-related symptoms among children, with numbers doubling from 2011 to 2020. The physician reports seeing even elementary-aged children with suicidal thoughts—a new and alarming trend. “We do not know how to fix this completely but what we do know suggests that banning cell phones could be a critical first step,” the author states.
The call for action is not just about statistics; it’s a matter of common sense and observation. Teachers report a noticeable decline in real-life interaction among students, who prefer to spend their time immersed in their screens, even during school hours. This shift has been associated with increased bullying, low self-esteem, and a lack of focus in students.
The physician points out the disparity in policy implementation, where effective phone-free policies are often found in schools serving higher-income students. However, it’s the lower-income students who might benefit the most from such policies. A study from Norway highlighted significant benefits for girls, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds, when phones were banned in schools.
As an emergency physician and a parent of two school-aged children, the author passionately argues for districtwide phone-free policies to create safer, more focused learning environments that can help mitigate the mental health crisis among young people. “It is time for Austin to lead in the state of Texas… We must remove phones and social media from our schools, and failure to do so is malpractice to the education and mental health of our children,” concludes the physician.
This compelling plea emphasizes the necessity of collective action to safeguard the mental well-being and educational success of children across all demographics.
For more insights, you can read the full article here.
