Tying Students to the Mast: The Reality of NC’s New Classroom Phone Ban

When I heard of the cell phone ban in schools, I immediately thought of the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca. In this story of Greek mythology, Odysseus has to sail past an island that is inhabited by tempting female figures known as Sirens. Sirens are known for tricking travelers to their death by the sound of their song. Odysseus is aware of the Sirens and what they do so he orders his men to tie him to the mast of the ship and put beeswax in his ears. No matter how tempted Odysseus is, the physical restraints he has placed on himself prevent him from acting on his desires. 

I see banning the use of phones as tying students to the mast. They have no choice but to exist without digital temptation in their pocket. In a world full of constant distractions and stimulation, can we learn to live harmoniously with these distractions or do we need to “tie ourselves to a mast?” Let's take a deeper look at the issue of banning phone use in schools.

This dilemma is happening in North Carolina (NC). NC governor, Josh Stein recently signed a cellphone regulation bill (House Bill 959) that requires school districts to adopt policies that “prohibits students from using, displaying, or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time.” 

It seems that teachers everywhere are concerned about phone usage during class time. In fact, according to the National Education Association (NEA), “90 percent of teachers support prohibiting cell phone use during instructional hours.” Educators know how impossible it is to compete with an algorithm designed to capture human attention. 

The Parent and Student Divide 

Teachers have a valuable perspective but students and parents do too. Let’s look at what parents and students have to say about banning cell phones in the classroom. The National Parents Union released a survey in 2024 that highlighted parents as being concerned for their child’s safety. The number one reason why parents want their children to have access to a phone at school is “so that their child can use their phone if there is an emergency at school.”Despite this loud safety concern, most parents actually support a phone ban during instructional time. According to the Pew Research Center, “74% of U.S. adults said they support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class.”

Not surprisingly, most students are not in support of a phone ban during instruction. According to the Pew Research Center:

• “41% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they support banning middle and high school students from using cell phones during class.” 

• 73% of teens oppose a full day ban on phone usage. 

A Worldly View

So, can we learn to live harmoniously with these distractions or do we need to “tie ourselves to the mast?” My answer to this question lies in the fact that our world is changing at an unprecedented speed. Human evolution is far too slow to keep up with the age of science and technology. Our world is constantly changing and threats and distractions are constantly being thrown at all of us. We cannot adapt quickly enough to live harmoniously in our world so I do believe we need to tie ourselves to the mast in order to protect ourselves from the world we created. 

How can we expect a teenager sitting in chemistry class to use sheer willpower to not be distracted by their phone? By passing House Bill 959, we are forcing a necessary boundary that enables students to be more engaged in the classroom. “Tying them to the mast” might be the only way to save the ship.