Phone bans?

Several states are considering banning or restricting smartphones from students during school hours. The states are: Ohio, Oklahoma, Indiana, plus New York and California, for the reasons proposed by author Jonathan Haidt. 

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Kids' mental health declined in the mid-2010's when many became ensnared by their smartphones and social media, distracting them from classwork and face-to-face interactions. "Phone bans in schools, Haidt writes, are shown to increase test scores, cognitive ability, and deeper interest and engagement in schoolwork."

This author is thankful for his early discovery of the joy of actual books: 

"My friends and I used to race each other to the elementary library to snag the next Harry Potter book. I read Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the fifth grade, and devoured classics like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn before entering junior high. I may have been more bookish than the average kid, but my community encouraged a love of reading that was contagious."

from Mind Matters