I’m sure many New Trier High School students can attest to the internal sigh one lets out when walking into a new classroom on the first day of school and seeing the dreaded “phone jail.” These are usually a collection of numbered pockets on the wall or a box with numbered slots meant to hold students’ phones for the 80-minute block. I know I am not the only one who has noticed a major uptick in the number of classes enforcing phone imprisonment in the past year or two.

The phone jails have begun to feel more problematic for me with the start of this school year. As a junior, this is the first year I have AP classes in my schedule and, of course, some require us to use a phone jail. It is especially insulting to sign up for the added responsibility of a college-level course and still not be considered trustworthy enough to keep my phone away during class.

New Trier needs to make up its mind on whether it wants us students to act like kids or adults. From the time we are 14 years old, we are expected to juggle challenging classes, homework, and extracurriculars all while maintaining good grades. At the same time, we are apparently not trusted enough to have our own phones with us. This school is sending a lot of mixed signals.

In my time at New Trier, I haven’t noticed phone use in class to be a major issue. Sure, there is usually that one kid who somewhat obnoxiously scrolls through their phone for the whole period, but why are we punishing everyone for the actions of a small percentage of people? I don’t see any reason why teachers at New Trier can’t just take away phones from the students who are actually using them. A policy like this would be both fair and effective. 

I am grateful that I got through Northfield before the district instituted its no-phone policy for the campus. At the Winnetka Campus, the choice to use a phone jail or enforce certain rules is up to the teacher—which is a bit more reasonable. At Northfield, however, the policy is campus wide. This year, all students are required to keep their phone in a jail during every class, including the five-minute break. Prohibiting students from using their phone during break is completely ridiculous. The school should not have a say on whether students can go on their phones while class is not in session—which it isn’t during the five-minute break. Having a phone out during break is neither harmful nor disruptive, so I have no clue why teachers would care. 

To give New Trier some credit, they are not the only school guilty of these no-phone policies. There have been statewide bans or policies in states such as Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, and South Carolina. A school in Orlando, Florida even enforced a policy to ban phone use throughout the entire school day. Thankfully, New Trier hasn’t reached that point. However, with the new policies this year, we are in danger of going down the same path. I can’t imagine not having the freedom to go on my phone during a free period or lunch.

Students have legitimate reasons for using phones. By owning a phone, one automatically has a plethora of information and tools at their fingertips. Students may also use their phones to interact and communicate with friends and family. There is a lot of concern and debate over social media and phone addiction in this day and age, but to say that there are no benefits to this technology would be inaccurate.

Technology plays a significant role in our society today, and phones are a part of our lives. New Trier needs to figure out a better way to cope with that fact, because it is not going away any time soon.