Banning phones is not solving anything
A few days ago, I posted some of my thoughts regarding the new mobile phone ban in high schools in the Netherlands. I want to add a few more things:
I think the fundamental problem is not the phones themselves. Why are phones distracting? Push notifications and FOMO. The phones are not the problem, social media is. And because we failed to properly regulate social media, phones are getting banned.
The ban is a prime example of symptom relief. The government is doing nothing to actually address the problem; all they're doing is prohibiting the manifestation. The ban will not help students overcome their addiction. Neither is the ban preventing social media use and all the problems than come with it; students are simply going to use different devices to access their beloved Snapchat selfies.