Mobile phones have dramatically changed our daily lives over the past few decades. Whenever we want to talk, we can communicate with people pretty easily if they are living on the other side of the planet. I appreciate this technology. Via video call by my smartphone, I can enjoy chatting with my daughter and grandchildren living in Spain. I can see them smiling and sometimes dancing.
However, phone-free or free-to-phone has become a big issue at school these days. Parents want to have their children carry phones at school to keep in touch with their kids throughout the day, but teachers and administrators want to ban phones since they believe phone carrying could be distracting in class and result in decreased academic performance. I guess both sides have some points, so they need to compromise. I understand parents’ worries about their children’s safety in case of earthquake or tsunami, as well as cases involving crimes. However, parents cannot protect their kids every minute all day. Kids should be gradually independent to learn how to act in an emergency. From that perspective, carrying phones all day at school, which might be an obstacle to concentrate in the classroom, is not a good idea. Having said that, a total ban of the phone is not practical, either. Teachers and parents should teach kids both the merits and demerits of using phones, and how to effectively use the latest technology.