Phones can undoubtedly be a distraction in class, but so can laptops, yet we aren’t required to put those away. The school is correct in recognizing that phones are a source of distraction. However, they are addressing the issue in the wrong way by removing phones instead of fostering responsible phone usage.

UPrep has two main goals: the first is found in the name: to prepare students for a university. The second is found in their mission statement: to develop socially responsible, intellectually courageous citizens of the world. In general, the school excels at both. It helps students with college applications and studying for the SAT and ACT, along with teaching a range of practical skills..

However, when it comes to phones, the current limits are counterproductive to both goals. By requiring students to put their phones in a box or pouch controlled by an authority figure, the school is missing out on a key opportunity to teach a crucial life skill: responsible technology use.

We often hear teachers say things like, “This wouldn’t pass in college,” or “When you get to college…” They constantly remind us that they are prepping us for the independence of university life, one in which we’ll be expected to handle all sorts of distractions, including our phones. In college, we will have our phones with us, both inside the classroom and outside of it. When we finally regain access to our phones in a less controlled environment, we will not have any idea how to manage our usage.

Being a socially responsible citizen means knowing how to sit through a meeting without reaching for TikTok, how to focus during unsupervised work time without checking Instagram and how to manage your device usage without constant oversight. UPrep should equip us with these skills, rather than enforcing restrictions that don’t align with the realities of the outside world.

Rather than teaching us the best solution is to remove our phones, they should teach us how to function with our phones. This should be taught in the classroom, with teachers explicitly stating their expectations and calling out students more when they don’t follow them. Instead of avoiding the problem, the administration needs to face it head-on by preparing us for the real world where technology is everywhere, and its responsible use is key to success.