Cons of Cell Phones in School

The cons of cell phones in school are numerous. The source of much public debate, the issue of whether to allow children and teens to bring their mobile phones to school has been discussed ad nauseum clear across the country, but even now, there is no clear-cut answer, solution or conclusion. Below we will discuss the many reasons why it might not be a good idea to allow the use of cell phones in the classroom.

Cons of Cell Phones in School

There are many reasons why cell phones should not be allowed in the classroom.

Distractions

When a child is in school, his or her purpose there is to learn, whether it be about Columbus sailing the ocean blue or about how electricity works. Young people are more easily distracted than their elders because they tend to have shorter attention spans. If they become bored with the class material, it doesn't take much for them to take out a Motorola RAZR to play some cell phone games. How can you expect a teen to absorb all that knowledge if they're not even paying attention.

Cheating

Obviously, kids won't be able to take out their cell phones and talk to one another in the classroom during an exam, but the concept of "passing notes" has stepped into the age of technology, thanks to the advent of text messages. These can be sent quite discretely while in the classroom. Taking it one step further, a student can excuse himself to go to the washroom, only to use that time to send text messages and leave voice mails. You also have to bear in mind that cell phones are advancing and improving faster than ever. Certain smartphones can surf the Web (looking for test answers), others have advanced calculators, and depending on the software, it may even be able to run custom applications. The possibilities for cheating and copying are literally limitless, and thus another con of cell phones in school.

Theft

Particularly when it comes to high school, young people can be very competitive, fighting for popularity among their peer group. This can manifest itself into stealing if a particular individual brings an especially expensive cell phone to school. The last thing you want to do is to tempt the would-be thieves. Lockers are more likely to be broken into, for example, if they know there is something of value in there.

Illicit Pictures

Boys will be boys, so with hormones raging during their schoolboy days, there is a distinct possibility that some students may take pictures that they shouldn't be taking. Given that nearly every cell phone these days has a built-in digital camera, it becomes too easy to take a picture of someone without them noticing. These photos are also easily uploaded and shared over the Internet. Can you imagine the uproar if pictures were to arise of girls in the dressing room?

The Other Side of the Story

Realistically, things can be all that bad though. There are always two sides to every coin, so just as there are a number of cons to allowing cell phones to be used in school, there also a number of pros. Be sure to check out the accompany article -- Pros of Cell Phones in School -- for more information and a more balanced viewpoint.

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