Free from Distraction: Removing Cell Phones from the Classroom | The Paper and Packaging Board Skip to main content
Home
The Paper and Packaging Board
The Paper and Packaging Board
  • About Us
    • Board & Governance
    • Our Staff
    • FAQs
  • The Campaign
    • Media Resources
  • Box to Nature
    • FAQs
    • PACK EXPO 2022
  • Industry Resources
    • Sales Toolkit
    • Industry News
    • Industry Good Works
  • Sustainable Thoughts Blog
Learning

Free from Distraction: Removing Cell Phones from the Classroom

shutterstock_406516990
September 4, 2018

At the Paper and Packaging Board, we reject the print vs. digital debate as a false choice. The truth is paper-based and digital technologies are mutually reinforcing, and together make for creative, cognitive and business outcomes that neither could on their own.

But there are contexts in which paper is preferable and digital a downright distraction. We know this from reams of scientific research—and plain-old common sense.

Take for example France’s recent decision to ban smartphones, with few exceptions, from schools through their equivalent of the ninth grade.

“Children don’t have the maturity” for smartphones, one French mother of a young child told the Wall Street Journal. “Some adults don’t either.”

File that one under ‘it’s funny because it’s true.’ We all know that we can be distracted by screens, and we’re (supposed to be) grown-ups. How much harder it must be for children who—let’s just say—can have less than fully matured powers of impulse control.

The logic is neatly summed up by France’s education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer: “We’re not seeking to reject technological progress—that would be absurd—but rather to master it, to make sure man is the master of the machine.”

Do such bans actually impact educational outcomes? There’s good reason to think that they do:

There is evidence that a ban on the devices can improve academic performance. A study by researchers at the London School of Economics found standardized test scores for 16-year-olds at 91 U.K. schools measured between 2001 and 2011 rose when they instituted bans on mobile phones. The improvement, equivalent to that from an extra hour of school per week, was greater when the bans were strictly enforced, the study found.”

And, of course, the data on paper and learning in unequivocal. Paper note-taking compels students to engage with what’s being taught and identify the essence of important ideas, rather than just mechanically typing lectures word for word. A number of studies also show that it improves comprehension and long-term retention.

The tactile or “kinesthetic” nature of writing and physically engaging with paper has long been recognized as an important component of learning. As Mr. Blanquer put it: “We want children to rediscover the real, that connection to the concrete, to nature, to do doing things with their hands, to contact with other human beings.”

The good news is, as Millennials move into parenthood, they seem to have gotten the message. Our recent Fourth Annual Paper and Productive Learning Report found 83 percent believe it’s important to “unplug” from digital devices once in a while, and 59 percent are actively working to limit phone screen time for their kids.

Smartphones are, of course, a miraculous and world-expanding technology. But when it comes to learning in the classroom, research points to paper as the smarter choice.

Print IconCreated with Sketch.

The Latest Blogs

P+PB character's Casey and Page with woodland creatures in a winter wonderland
Campaign Highlight

The Holidays Are Paper’s Time to Shine

2023 Vision
Resource Stewardship

The environment is top of mind. Together, we are part of the solution.

Kids in the classroom
Learning

The Benefits of Learning on Paper

Packaging prototype sketches
Innovation

Recyclable Packaging Design Competition with Versatile Paper

Letters
Productivity

Letters From Quarantine

Facebook Icon Created with Sketch. Twitter Icon Created with Sketch. Instagram Icon Created with Sketch. Pinterest Icon Created with Sketch. YouTube Icon Created with Sketch. LinkedIn Icon Created with Sketch. TikTok Icon Created with Sketch.

Paper and packaging products are an integral part of our lives. They give us an outlet for our creativity. They help us solve problems and learn about the world around us. They connect us in personal, meaningful ways. And they help us make important contributions to a more sustainable future. Follow us on social for more.

Case and Page
ppb-logo-white

Footer Menu

  • Contact Us
  • Media Resources
  • Company Login
  • HowLifeUnfolds.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Copyright Policy
  • Association Partners

© 2019 - 2023 Paper and Packaging Board. All Rights Reserved.

Secondary Mobile Nav

  • Contact
  • Policies
  • Media Resources