Students return to new phone ban

The first day of school for many Highland Lakes students is Wednesday, and they’ll have to go without access to their cellphones, smartwatches, headphones, tablets, computers, gaming devices, and, yes, even pagers. 

A new Texas law, House Bill 1481, requires all public schools implement policies by Sept. 18 that prohibit students’ use of personal devices on school property. Marble Falls and Burnet Consolidated independent school districts will have policies in place when children return to campuses Aug. 13.

The bill, passed in the recent 89th Texas legislative session and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20, aims to reduce classroom distractions from personal devices and social media and increase focus on lessons.

“Multiple studies have documented the harmful effects of cellphone and social media use on student well-being and academic progress,” reads recommended language for new personal device prohibition policies from the Texas Education Agency, which oversees primary and secondary public education in the state. “As a result, Texas law requires public schools to prohibit the use of personal communication devices during the school day on school property. This policy is adopted to implement this requirement and improve the quality of the learning environment in our schools.”

Marble Falls ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway is in agreement with the state ban.

“I personally think that it is a good bill to benefit the well-being and mental health of students and to reduce distractions,” Gasaway told DailyTrib.com. “Our students are living out their lives by the number of likes and views on Instagram and TikTok. I do think that our kids face an enormous amount of stress and pressure from social media use.”

Policies differ slightly at the Marble Falls and Burnet districts.

At MFISD, students are allowed to have devices in their possession, but they must be put away, such as in a backpack or purse, or stored elsewhere and never used. BCISD students cannot have devices on their person; they must be kept in student-issued lockers or their vehicles.

“We support the purpose of HB 1481,” said Stacy Rush, BCISD assistant superintendent of Student Services.

Exceptions to the new rules exist, incuding medical emergencies, but for the most part, parents will have to contact their children the old-fashioned way: calling the front office.

Students still will have access to school-issued devices for learning, but not personal electronics, which include:

• cellphones
• gaming devices
• smartwatches
• fitness trackers
• earbuds/headphones
• tablets
• personal computers
• pagers
• radios

IMPACTS OF CELLPHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

In 2024, the National Education Association surveyed 2,889 educator-members from across the country on how they felt cellphone use and social media impacted their students. 

Results showed the following:

• More than 90 percent said mental health was a serious issue for students and has gotten worse in recent years.
• 84 percent said social media contributed to students’ mental health issues.
• 81 percent said cellphones contributed to mental health issues.
• 73 percent of teachers in schools allowing the use of personal devices reported consistent disruptions in the classroom.

However, the NEA survey found that the largest negative impact on students’ mental health, according to 92 percent of the teachers surveyed, was a “lack of parental involvement and communication.”

See the entire NEA survey results here.

dakota@thepicayune.com