September 6, 2024, Boston, MA– A new survey released today by the National Parents Union found that being able to communicate in case of an emergency at school is the primary reason parents want their children to have a cell phone at school.
Reasons Why Parents Want Kids to Have Cell Phones at School*
*Among parents whose child currently takes a phone to school.
“When there are emergencies at school, being able to directly communicate with your child to ensure they are safe is critically important and too often schools are dropping the ball on effective communication,” said Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union. “Cell phone bans fail to take into consideration the tragic, real-life scenarios that unfortunately play out all too often in schools. And schools have yet to improve communication with us. The concerns of American parents are real and deserve to also be considered in the creation of any policy that impacts our ability to communicate with our children. Despite what so-called ‘experts’ might think, we aren’t texting our kids memes or asking them what the latest TikTok trend is. Before policymakers think they’re solving a problem by banning phones in school, they should talk to actual parents to understand the reasons why the line of communication during the school day is so important.”
The poll found that overall 76% of parents of public school students say their child takes their cell phone to school.
When asked which best describes their child’s school’s policy about cell phone use, 46% say students are banned from using the devices unless they have a medical condition or disability. Only 4% say the policy allows for no limits on student cell phone use and 42% say students are sometimes allowed to use them.
Looking more closely at the policy that bans the devices, 62% of parents say cell phones cannot be used during class and academic instruction but are allowed at certain times outside of class. 38% say it’s a complete ban.
Additionally, only 30% overall say that their child’s school asked parents for input on cell phone policy. However, parents generally think their school’s cell phone policy is “about right” (71%).
Rodrigues continued, “Rather than a complete ban on cell phones, we would encourage a more holistic approach that addresses the challenges associated with these devices. Let’s get the Kids Online Safety Act passed so our kids are not victims of inappropriate social media content. Let’s invest in our teachers to ensure that they are confident and skilled at effective classroom management so kids are engaged and not interested in cell phone shenanigans. And on cell phone policies, let’s commit to ensuring that any policies that are developed are done so at the local school level and take into account the diverse views of students, families and teachers within the school community.”
National Parents Union Survey
N=1508 parents of public school students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade
Online survey – Sample from Cint/Lucid sample exchange
Field Dates: August 29–September 2, 2024
Margin of error: ± 2.6 percentage points
Click here for toplines
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION
With nearly 1,500 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the united, independent voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/