We need to implement a strict phone policy at Millikan, now! It is clear that cell phones prove to be the greatest distraction to all students and greatly reduces the attention span of kids in school.
If you were to walk into any classroom on the Millikan campus, you would likely see at least a quarter of the classroom not paying attention, scrolling through their phones, missing out on the lesson being taught. This is not only horrible for students as they are missing out on class curriculum, but also further reducing their attention spans.
Without further district intervention regarding the use of phones in the classroom, this constant distraction is sure to remain. Should the Long Beach Unified School District implement a more strict policy that is required to be followed in all classrooms, the distraction of phones will be reduced in a major way.
Teachers also noticed a major increase in classroom phone use after the COVID 19 Pandemic.
“People are just glued to their phones, constantly looking down at them all class. I’ve seen more phone use than I’ve seen in my life,” said physics teacher Mr. Lopez.
During the lockdown period of COVID, there was no regulation on phone use as all work was completed from home. Phone addictions only worsened from there and the loose restrictions in place now only promote this phone-addicted lifestyle.
What exactly this phone policy needs to look like is up to the school district, but a strict implementation of it is clearly needed to ensure students are able to effectively learn in class.
Dylan Murray • Apr 22, 2025 at 9:40 am
On April 2, 2025, Liam Hollon composed an article entitled “Phones Need to Leave The Classroom,” which highlights the pervasive distraction of cell phones in Millikan High School classrooms. Hollon’s observation that “at least a quarter of the classroom” is frequently disengaged, scrolling through phones, is deeply concerning. This not only undermines the learning process for those students but also negatively impacts the learning environment for their classmates. The anecdotal evidence provided by Mr. Lopez, a physics teacher, further strengthens this argument in his statement about the increased and almost constant phone use, as it becomes alarming.
Additionally, I would like to add how the article correctly points to the post-COVID period and the resulting worsening of phone addictions as a contributing factor to the current situation. The lack of strict phone policies during remote learning exacerbated this problem, creating a culture where constant phone use is normalized. All in all, I enjoyed this article by Liam Hollon as it shows how schools may succumb to the direct usage of cellphones in classes.
Davis • Apr 21, 2025 at 11:41 pm
I found this article to be an excellent, pertinent, and worthwhile read, especially as an engaged student at Millikan who sees firsthand how the use of phones can take over the learning environment.
I appreciated that the article provided such solid examples and even included a teacher’s perspective, which really illustrated just how bad the issue has become. The quote from Mr. Lopez definitely stood out to me because I myself am a culprit of the phone use epidemic in his classroom.As I read the article, I was sitting there thinking, “Yes, yes, yes” at the mention of students scrolling through their phones instead of listening. I’ve sat in classes where it feels like the lesson is background music to a TikTok scroll. It’s infuriating, especially for students who are trying to stay focused. I think a district policy would be a good idea, especially if it brings consistency to teachers. Although the article wasn’t providing a solution in specific, it did initiate a necessary conversation about how the use of phones needs to be regulated more within school. In general, I think this was a good and much-needed article which shines light on something we’re all coping with every day.
Madeline Palm • Apr 21, 2025 at 4:42 pm
The article describes students’ increased phone usage in school. The article notes that a more strict phone policy could be valuable to our school. I appreciated the connection included in the article about the COVID-19 pandemic and phone usage in classrooms. The article explains how teachers have noticed an increase in phone usage by students after the COVID-19 pandemic. I also liked that the article included a teacher’s perspective on this topic to further demonstrate how many students are distracted by their phones. Although, I do wish that the article included a specific rule that could be implemented into schools to reduce the usage of phones in classrooms to get a clearer idea on how this issue could be resolved. Overall, the article provides an explanation of the recent increase in phone usage over the past few years and demonstrates the need for a more strict phone policy in LBUSD.
Michael Diaz • Apr 21, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Initially, I found the subject of the article very intriguing because I have personal accounts having observed the same issue in classrooms. I am aware of how much of a problem certain students have with restraint regarding cell phone usage during lectures and classwork. This article does a fantastic job providing context for this increase of cell phone usage particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic that plagued the world and schools into virtual classrooms. This type of easy environment and reliance on technology notably lingers into the present. The article is concise and straight to the point, which I enjoy greatly for convenience. One thing I still ponder one was idea that this may not just be a cell phone problem, but a discipline problem in teens, demonstrating the profound negative impact of the pandemic and at-home virtual classrooms that allowed students to get progressively more lazy. Nonetheless, I hope that more students put in more effort into their learning and the restraint from using their phones excessively in class.