This year, school officials across Iowa are increasingly limiting or eliminating student access to mobile devices during the instructional day.
The policies vary among Webster County’s four school systems, but one administrator is optimistic about the growing trend of reducing phone usage during class time.
St. Edmond Catholic School Principal Maurice Ruble referenced research, surveys, and the 2024 bestseller The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
“We are waking up to the reality of the research on the negatives of mobile phone addiction,” Ruble said. “These things are terrible for young people and terrible for schools.”
He added, “The fact is that we are raising the most anxious, depressed generation, and cell phones are to blame.”
School officials also reported that scaling back phone access during school hours has led to less distracted students.
Southeast Valley School District Superintendent Brian Johnson explained that about four years ago, before his tenure, middle schoolers began handing over their phones at the start of the day. Students place their devices in designated spots in first-period homerooms and retrieve them at day’s end.
“I believe the change to be positive,” Johnson said. “Obviously, students are less distracted because of social media and the internet. I have no data, but I also assume that most issues with social media have decreased, especially during the school day.”
At Southeast Valley High School, Principal Kerry Ketcham said students are not allowed to use phones during instructional periods.
“That is handled in a variety of ways,” Ketcham explained. “Some teachers tell students to put their phones away. One teacher has them face down on desktops. Others use a basket, box, or wall-mounted phone caddy to collect devices during class.”
Attempts to implement a uniform policy faced challenges, but the current approach has reduced conflicts between staff and students over phone use.
Ruble recalled the days when basic cell phones with limited texting emerged around 2000. He noted that problems escalated as phones evolved into “little computers” with internet, apps, and social media—an issue worsened when children started using them in elementary school.
“Cell phone addiction is a definite addiction,” he said.
Parents’ decisions on when their children can use phones vary widely.
“The appropriate age depends on a child’s maturity, the purpose of the phone, and parental discretion,” said Dan Altman, president of the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education. “During school hours, phone use should not interfere with learning and should be limited to necessary communication with parents or guardians.”
Fort Dodge Community School District Communications Director Lydia Schuur explained that their phone policy, first adopted six years ago, prohibits use during instructional times for grades six through 12. Students may check their phones only during non-class times.
Between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Fort Dodge students must keep phones out of sight in bags or pockets. Smartwatches that draw student attention must also be handed over to teachers. Those needing to reach students are directed to contact the school office.
All Webster County schools enforce disciplinary actions for violating phone policies.
Students have access to school-provided technology, and some teachers allow personal phone use for class-related research. At Manson Northwest Webster School District, Superintendent Justin Daggett noted that students may only use personal devices with prior administrative permission. Phones are allowed during passing periods and lunch unless otherwise restricted.
At St. Edmond, middle schoolers cannot have phones visible during the day. High school students may briefly glance at them between periods, a new leniency this year. However, Ruble acknowledged that stricter enforcement would be impractical for teachers to manage uniformly.
“That is not a hill to die on,” he said.
Ruble mentioned that phone policies remain in flux. At the start of the school year, he warned high schoolers that stricter rules, similar to the middle school’s, could be implemented in the future.
Gov. Kim Reynolds recently indicated she might propose a statewide ban on student cell phone use in schools.