Glynn County’s youngest students will need to find new ways to pass time at lunch as the district implements Georgia’s sweeping cell phone ban starting this school year.
📚 What’s Happening: Georgia’s Distraction-Free Education Act requires all K-8 students to keep phones, tablets and smartwatches turned off and stored away during class, lunch and recess. The law aims to cut distractions and boost learning, according to state officials.
Students get one warning, then devices get confiscated until day’s end. Third strike means parents have to retrieve the phone from the front office.
📱 Why It Matters: The change affects thousands of local families who rely on phones to stay connected with their kids during the day, forcing parents to adjust pickup routines and emergency contact plans. On the other hand, students will be able to focus on academics without the distraction of a phone.
⚖️ Between the Lines: This puts Glynn County in line with a growing national movement to limit screen time in schools. The district is asking parents to prep their kids for the adjustment and find new ways to coordinate after-school plans.
Research shows limiting school-day screen time can improve student focus and mental health, though many families worry about losing their main communication link during emergencies.
🔍 The Big Picture: Georgia joins more than a dozen states restricting student phone use as educators nationwide grapple with rising concerns about social media’s impact on learning and teen mental health. The move reflects a broader shift away from the tech-friendly policies many districts adopted during the pandemic.
The Sources: Glynn County Schools.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
