Teens sound off on proposed law to prohibit cellphones in classrooms

SALT LAKE CITY — It's lunchtime — and waves of hungry Lone Peak High School students are escaping campus long enough Thursday to snag something at the nearby McDonald's or maybe Taco Bell.

Several of the teens seek their midday sustenance in small social packs — chatting and laughing while traversing the school crosswalk. But many others, no surprise, focus on texting or talking on their cellphones.

And almost all the kids have devices in their hands.

So who better to deliver "on-the-ground" opinions on proposed legislation creating a "default" law forbidding Utah students from using their cellphone during class time? After all, it's 2025. Most Utah high school and junior high students have likely owned some sort of cellphone for almost all of their K-12 years.

So one could perhaps assume all would be strongly and uniformly opposed to any form of classroom phone prohibition. But the responses from the Lone Peak High lunch crowd were mixed, thoughtful and nuanced.

Grayson Mcevoy, a 17-year-old Lone Peak junior, would rather not have the state (or his school district) ban cellphones in class — "but I can also see the benefits in some ways."

If ratified, SB178 would make Utah's primary and secondary classrooms cellphone "free zones" — unless local schools or districts opt for a different policy.

The bill essentially calls for a "default" reset of the state's current policy, which allows cellphone use whenever or wherever students want unless local districts or school articulate a prohibitive policy.

Lone Peak High School, according to the students who spoke to the Deseret News, manages cellphone policies on a class-by-class basis. Some teachers reportedly restrict phone-use entirely in their classrooms. Others are more flexible.

Students: Cellphones can be helpful — and distracting

Senior Dalton Riley, 18, said one of his teachers provides designated slots for students' phones during class time.

"And I'm cool with that," said Riley. "Personally, I don't mind. There's really no point for me to be using my phone during class."

Taylor Hurley, 17, has learned to be flexible with his classroom cellphone use.

"It's different for each teacher," he said. "Each teacher has a different cellphone policy. Some are super-relaxed with phones — and others don't like us using them."

Still, the Lone Peak senior would not be a fan of a broad prohibition. "Phones are helpful and they help people every day."

Cellphones are a boon during art and painting classes for sophomore Zoe Roos. She utilizes her phone's search capabilities "to find inspiration" for her art assignments. But she's quick to add she doesn't otherwise use her phone much in class outside of maybe sending an occasional text.

"For a lot of kids, the most distracting part of cellphones is when they are scrolling through their social media or stuff like that," said Roos. "It's not the communication parts (phone calls or texting) that are most distracting to kids."

Senior Natalie Khankan, 17, is a foreign exchange student, so she possesses a broad perspective on cellphones in classrooms. "In Italy, we're not allowed to use our phones," she said. "So when I came here, I found a lot of the teachers didn't really care if we use our phones. So a lot of people go on TikTok or Instagram.

"It can be really distracting — but, yes, sometimes our cellphones can be helpful."

Khankan recognizes both sides of the cellphone/classroom debate — but said she supports SB178.

The proposed law allows for cellphone use in classrooms during an emergency. Still, senior Sophia Molina is hesitant about any policy that might prevent her from accessing her phone in a crisis.

"But I do feel there should be some kind of regulation because I sometimes see kids using their phones during the entire class period instead of engaging with others," she said.

Regardless of class-to-class phone policies, Molina said she typically gives little thought to her cellphone during school.

"I usually just put it in my backpack and forget about it," she said. "It's good to not have it in my vision."

Any policy prohibiting cellphones in class "is a bad idea," insisted Anke Larsen, 16. "At a certain age, kids should be able to have their phones."

Alyssa Lindsay, a sophomore, said she appreciates teachers who establish clear boundaries on cellphone use in their classrooms — and then trust their students to conduct themselves accordingly.

Maxwell Redding, meanwhile, worries a broad cellphone prohibition in classrooms would exact more harm than good.

"I think it's a bad idea," he said. "I'd be nervous if I couldn't check my notifications."

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