New York banned the use of phones in schools. First, we had reporting on teens being anxious and distracted as they lost access to their digital pacifier. Now, we hear (loudly) that they are loud again – chatting at lunch with each other (what a novel concept!). Talk about the “implications of the implication" (if that reference doesn’t mean anything to you – check out our free Disruption Mapping course).
These days, lunchtime at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens is a boisterous affair, a far cry from before the smartphone ban went into effect, when most students spent their spare time scrolling and teachers said you could hear a pin drop. “This year’s gotten way louder,” said Jimena Garcia, 15. “Sometimes I would take naps in the lunchroom, but now I can’t because of the noise. But it’s fun.”
