My kids are 4, 7 and 10 and they aren't getting phones for a LOOONNNNG time and when they do, they aren't going to be smart ones.

There's a family up the street I call the phone zombies because the entire family will walk around with their heads in phones including the young kids like my kids age. They shuffle along just like zombies and never look up as they take walks.

It's really remarkable to watch.

I know PASig home-schools, but the kids are required to have an app, Infinite Campus, for grades and assignments in our middle school. I'm not saying they need to have their phones during the school day, but they need access to the app. I also have the app (parent version) and I can track my kids grades, assignments and attendance.

Luckily for us, our middle school is in the mountains and there's no cell signal in the middle school. It actually turns out to be a PITA for me if I decide the pick them up early, usually on Fridays. I've sent them a text message saying I would pick them up in the parking lot, but they didn't get the message until the bus had left the school! If I pick them up unexpectedly I have to stand by the main door and flag them down. Not a big deal though.

For my daughter, she had to memorize her multiplication tables to get a phone. There has been good and bad with her having a phone. One time, she had an Algebra exam and she claimed she was studying by laying on the couch with her phone. Yeah, I was anti-phone on that day.
Other than situations like that, there hasn't been any big issues.

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Originally posted by redstone:
A local high school is implementing Yondr pouches. It is pretty cool. The phone is put into a pouch, which the students keep and then it is locked and it is unlocked when they exit at the end of the day.

These are popular at comedy & music clubs. Too many times has an audience member had their device interrupt a performance, distract other audience members as they attempted to 'get the best shot' or, just post edited content publicly without context. After getting through the door, get a sleeve/pouch to put your device and close to lock. To remove, go to exit, tap the security magnet stand to unlock, remove device and leave pouch behind.

I know they Navy is also looking at these type of security devices, as electronic emissions security has been a major problem aboard ship regarding personal devices. This became glaringly so when a ship was found to have had a 'hidden' Starlink antenna because the chief's mess wanted wifi to check on sports scores and stream movies.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

Somehow or another, I was able to contact who I needed to contact if I needed to contact them when I was a kid.

Me too. But landline phones and pay phones were everywhere. Not so much, today.

The parents could easily call those in charge at the school or even the teacher if there was an emergency.

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Originally posted by oddball:

But at the end of the day, if all smartphones disappeared from this planet right now, I would have to get a glass of 18 yo Macallans and celebrate.

Have to agree but I wouldn’t be drinking. I’d be heading out the first Monday after on the 9am flight for OGG to go get on a board and a break to celebrate. Oh my, is there a gofundme page for this?

Why do children need a smartphone in school? Seems extremely counterproductive. Newsflash, they got phone lines at the school for normal business and emergencies. No wonder kids today are stupid with the worst test scores in decades. They play with my precious too much, on the internet too much. That’s called a distraction. Sad to read some of the responses. The kids aren’t even out of public school yet, and they are already dopeheads, addicted to dopamine. Good news for good parents. Keep them off the crackhead phones, and they’ll never, ever have to worry about having a decent paying job/career.

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Originally posted by PASig:

There's a family up the street I call the phone zombies because the entire family will walk around with their heads in phones including the young kids like my kids age. They shuffle along just like zombies and never look up as they take walks.

It's really remarkable to watch.

I’ve seen this all the time for years now. I’ll see two parents and two kids egress their CUV. Parents and two girls, two boys, or combo, egress at the same time. Kids are 8 to high school age. All 4 of them have the phone in their hands. Can’t leave home without it. Can’t leave it in the vehicle. Has to be in their hands at all times. Society has turned into this:

Wish we could ban them at work.

I’ve got one little pretty boy turd at work that I caught with his face buried in his phone again after he was told taking selfies and TikTok videos aren’t his job. Next time he gets the choice to leave the phone in his locker or find a new job.

Back in the early to mid 80s my high-school banned beeper. The only thing they did Back was give you a return phone number to call.

They decided that they were to much of a distraction.

I was given an exemption for my volunteer fire department/first aid squad pager because I was in my senior year and technically able to respond to calls.
When the pager a activated it would beep then a voice message would announce what the call was.

During school hours I would only respond to calls if it was a major call of they were short handed.