Utah Republican and Connecticut Democrat Want Smartphones Out of Schools

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Sen. Mitt Romney wants to reduce the number of smartphones in classrooms. Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced the Smart Kids Not Smartphones Act on Thursday, that says any school that prohibits the use of smartphones during learning hours would receive some kind of recognition like a banner or website badge.

Posted by LampLighter at 03:33 PM | 23 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... Sen. Mitt Romney wants to reduce the number of smartphones in classrooms.

Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced the Smart Kids Not Smartphones Act on Thursday, that says any school that prohibits the use of smartphones during learning hours would receive some kind of recognition like a banner or website badge.

Sen. Mitt Romney wants to reduce the number of smartphones in classrooms.

Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced the Smart Kids Not Smartphones Act on Thursday, that says any school that prohibits the use of smartphones during learning hours would receive some kind of recognition like a banner or website badge. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-29 12:34 AM | Reply

First, Mitt needs to find a better way for school kids to call and say goodbye to Parents when the shooter is down the hall reloading, before he confiscates a parents only method of communicating with the kids.

There would be huge down sides to this dumb idea. Free speech is a right Republicans love to find new ways to chip away at.

Nobody could have anticipated, right? Republicans silencing a select group of citizens?

Tots and Prairies.

#2 | Posted by Wardog at 2024-07-29 11:24 AM | Reply

my kid's school doesn't prohibit phones from the classrooms.

But teachers are free to not allow them.

Almost all of them don't allow them. 1 or 2 allow them.

Guess which teachers complain the most about kids not paying attention in class????

With that said.....I completely disagree with this bill. This is where local control should rule. Just give schools the power to decide for themselves.

#3 | Posted by eberly at 2024-07-29 11:29 AM | Reply

I completely disagree with this bill. This is where local control should rule. Just give schools the power to decide for themselves.

Isn't that what this bill does? It's not forcing anyone to do anything.

#4 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-07-29 11:32 AM | Reply

I apologize.....you're correct. This bill affirms my position.

#5 | Posted by eberly at 2024-07-29 11:40 AM | Reply

No, this isn't an issue for local control. This is an issue where these two idiots are simply wrong. What we need is a law prohibiting schools from interfering with kids' phones.

#6 | Posted by DarkVader at 2024-07-30 03:53 PM | Reply

Mitt needs to find a better way for school kids to call and say goodbye to Parents when the shooter is down the hall reloading

You got me thinking.

Suppose it becomes possible for manufacturers to implant a GPS chip in guns that completely disables the gun on school property. The chip is somehow impossible to disable or destroy. A law is passed requiring this tech in all guns and schools, minus LEO guns.

Would Republicans, gun enthusiasts and the NRA support this bill?

#7 | Posted by JOE at 2024-07-30 04:30 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Put more computers or tablets in classrooms, and the main justification for smartphones (i.e., a tool for research on the topic being studied in class) goes away. And then the interruptions, bullying, sexting and matters interfering with education diminish. No, they don't go away but are diminished...

#8 | Posted by catdog at 2024-07-30 04:41 PM | Reply

Put more computers or tablets in classrooms, and the main justification for smartphones (i.e., a tool for research on the topic being studied in class) goes away.

Lol, no. Kids are using smartphones to text each other and use tiktok, snapchat, ig, etc. They are not "researching the topic being studied in class," i literally laughed out loud just typing that.

#9 | Posted by JOE at 2024-07-30 05:10 PM | Reply

-What we need is a law prohibiting schools from interfering with kids' phones.

You're saying you want a law that ensures kids get to keep their phones with them at all times during school?

#10 | Posted by eberly at 2024-07-30 05:14 PM | Reply

Would Republicans, gun enthusiasts and the NRA support this bill?
#7 | POSTED BY JOE

No, they would claim the deactivated zone would succumb to 'scope-creep' and end up even preventing them from shooting up a bowling alley.

#11 | Posted by schifferbrains at 2024-07-30 05:47 PM | Reply

If the bill allows for kids to have phones away in their backpack on silent, not on their desk as an active distraction device, I see no issue.

Phones are a communication tool at its most base offering. In the classroom all focus should be on the instructor or on course work. Between classes or at lunch brings the opportunity for open communication or planning/deconfliction of carpools or rides home from extracurriculars.

#12 | Posted by GOnoles92 at 2024-07-30 05:54 PM | Reply

@#12 ... If the bill allows for kids to have phones away in their backpack on silent, not on their desk as an active distraction device, I see no issue. ...

While I agree with that, I do have the concern that teachers would then be tasked with making sure the phones are on silent (and no vibrate) instead of teaching.

Maybe some manner of enforcing "airplane mode" without having the teacher become a phone monitor?

#13 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-30 06:14 PM | Reply

They should return free pay phones to the school lobby and enforce a "no phone" rule.

#14 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-07-30 06:15 PM | Reply

Giving kids smart phones is like the worse social experiment I have ever witnessed. And we performed it on our children. Letting them use them in school made it even worse. I would have never let my child have unfettered access to the internet until they were adults or at least in their senior year. I have seen what is on the internets and I cannot unsee it.

It's been destructive of our children's mental health and emotional well being.

I am glad to see more states are doing something about it. I don't have kids in school anymore but I do have grandkids. So I still get to vote, right JD Vance?

#15 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-07-30 06:32 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

@#15 ... Giving kids smart phones is like the worse social experiment I have ever witnessed. And we performed it on our children. ...

Yup.

#16 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-30 06:50 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

With the frequency of mass school shootings and our unwillingness to stop them. Kids aught to have the opportunity to say goodbye to their parents. Kids shouldn't have their phones taken from them. Providing they don't abuse them.

#17 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2024-07-30 07:03 PM | Reply

@#17 ... Kids shouldn't have their phones taken from them. Providing they don't abuse them. ..

That latter sentence is key.

#18 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-30 07:14 PM | Reply

I remember when you couldn't use a calculator in math class. Good times.

#19 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-07-30 07:32 PM | Reply

@#19 ... I remember when you couldn't use a calculator in math class. Good times. ....

Yup.

My college had an Honor System. Exams were not proctored. For all exams, take-home exams included, I had to sign the honor pledge. The instructor sad that not using a calculator was part of that pledge.

So I used my slide rule to do the statistical analyses of the data I gathered in engineering lab. I remember one lab, it required a full 24 hours of time spent on the slide rule.

I still have that slide rule.

#20 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-30 07:59 PM | Reply

I remember when you couldn't use a calculator in math class. Good times.

#19 | POSTED BY LEGALLYYOURDEAD

Yup. And I remember when there was no internet at all and I had to go to the library to look stuff up.

Access to the internet is not a requirement. It's a privilege that should be earned. Like driving on our roads.

If you are REALLY worried about your child's safety in our schools then give them a cheap phone.

The Gabb phone is only $180

An iPhone is closer to $900.

#21 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-07-31 11:48 AM | Reply

How are they supposed to call the cops when some righty tighty nut job with a shiny new AK his parents bought him comes in to shoot up the school?

#22 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-07-31 01:21 PM | Reply

Maybe the righty tightys are trying to eliminate those sad last calls to their moms during a school shootout?

They make such bad press.

#23 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-07-31 01:23 PM | Reply | Funny: 1