Why Black Teens Are Less Supportive of School Cellphone Bans

Alvin Buyinza, Word in Black

While 46% of white teens support school cellphone bans, only 33% of Black teens and 36% of Hispanic teens do the same.

Banning cellphones in K-12 classrooms is a growing national trend that educators say boosts concentration, engagement, and test scores. Nearly 40 states have laws or policies that restrict when and where students can use cellphones during the school day. 

But a new survey finds that about four in 10 school-age teenagers overall support cellphone bans in school, only three in 10 Black teens think it’s a good idea, and disproportionate discipline rates may have something to do with it.

Data from the Pew Research Center show that support for school cellphone bans varies by race. While 46% of white teens support these school policies, only 33% of Black teens and 36% of Hispanic teens do the same.

Cell Phone Bans Tied To Punishments

David N. Figilio, a researcher at the University of Rochester who studies the impact of school cellphone bans, says Black teens may be wary of bans because they fear that the new rules could lead to punishment or suspension for violating them. 

“If Black students believe that they will be more likely to be punished in the event of a cellphone ban, they might be more concerned about a new rule in force,” he wrote in an email statement to Word In Black.

Research shows that Black students are more likely to face punishments in school, including suspensions, detentions and infractions, than their white counterparts. 

According to a working paper by Figilio and Umut Özek, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation think tank, cellphone bans led to a sharp uptick in school suspensions, particularly among Black students, in the first year the policy was implemented. But

Read more about how cell phone bans punish some students.