Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont hosted a discussion with students at Wethersfield High School. The school’s cell phone policy requires students to lock up their phones in a secure pouch during the school day. Lamont said he’s interested in stronger policies to protect students’ mental health around phone use.
“About 90 percent of our schools, just like right here, have got the phones out of the classrooms and increasingly phone-free schools,” Lamont said. “I’d love your perspective on that to see whether we’re going too far or not far enough.”
School districts across the state have implemented policies that do not allow students to access their personal cell phones or smart devices until the end of the school day. Many schools have begun to use pouches designed to store and lock electronic devices designed by Yondr.
Students spoke about their personal experiences with cell phone use and school policies that have been implemented. Elijona Avdimetaj is a junior at Wethersfield High School. She said she has found that cell phones are a daily distraction.
“Our phones prevent us from learning, it prevents us from understanding new things and we’re not able to apply new knowledge anymore because of all of those distractions,” Avdimetaj said.
Since setting stricter guidelines around phone use, Avdimetaj said she has been able to focus better on her studies and has noticed a difference in her learning environment for herself and her classmates. She knows her opinion may not be popular among her peers, but she believes it is best for students her age.
“I’m going to be honest: I do check my phone frequently. Social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat, anything, it distracts me from my homework and I end up procrastinating on it overall,” Avdimetaj said.
Tong spoke about both the benefits of devices but also how they can be addictive for people of all ages. He said the constant notifications from social media apps are purposefully created to keep users close to their devices. He said the anticipation of these notifications can cause anxiety in users.
“The social media companies purposely deploy devices on your devices to get you addicted and to keep you glued to your screen,” Tong said. “That’s how they make money. They make money by the number of eyeballs that stay focused on the screen and that drive advertising and revenue.”
Tong mentioned the ongoing lawsuit against TikTok by Connecticut, New York and several other states. The multistate investigation launched in 2022 into whether TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws. Tong said the concern was that it fueled the ongoing crisis in the mental health of children and teens.
Davis Dunavin contributed to this story.
