Why Are Only Students Banned? A Critical View of Smartphone Bans in Schools

Abstract

Whether smartphones should be banned in schools and classrooms is a great debate in the current academic discussion. The issues raised underlying this ban agenda are mostly due to the negative potential of smartphone to distract learning, to cause addiction, and to be a factor of cyberbullying on students. Smartphone is always associated with student’s decrease in academic performance and achievement. This paper presents a critical gaze on the contention by rehauling the resonated provenance that students are the one should be limited from using the mobile technology. In particular, the paper considers on how academic researchers should adjust their views on this debate since the research on smartphone impacts as the basis of its curtailment has been tantalized by common trends and neglected the social aspect and justice of a policy. In particular, the paper considers three dimensions to advance understanding of the current banning agenda: (1) smartphone ban as a contention, (2) smartphone ban as an educational policy, and (3) smartphone ban as a social justice. Finally, future research as the implications of the present review study is discussed in this paper.