Marietta City Schools is weighing a divisive question: Should a cellphone ban, already implemented at its middle schools, be expanded to Marietta High School? Parents, students, and educators are split as the district examines the impact of smartphones on learning, socialization, and safety.
📱 Why It Matters: This isn’t just about controlling TikTok addiction. It’s about shaping the educational environment for teens, balancing the benefits of technology with its drawbacks. The decision could set a precedent for how schools address the growing influence of devices on students’ lives.
🤔 What’s Happening: Superintendent Grant Rivera presented data showing improved outcomes after the district banned cellphones at Marietta Sixth Grade Academy and Marietta Middle School. Using Yondr pouches, students lock away their phones during school hours. The results? Fewer distractions, reduced disciplinary issues, and a return to face-to-face socialization.
• Survey Results: Teachers reported a 96% drop in students using phones during class. Students also noted better engagement and fewer conflicts.
• Social Benefits: Principals observed students reconnecting through old-fashioned means like passing notes and playing board games.
But high school is a different arena. The debate focuses on whether the benefits of such a policy outweigh the logistical and social challenges.
📚 Between the Lines: High school educators argue that cellphones are a major barrier to success, calling them both a distraction and an addiction.
On the flip side, students and parents voice concerns about safety, autonomy, and practicality. A Change.org petition with nearly 950 signatures argues against the policy.
“This initiative doesn’t only limit our communication, but creates an unrealistically controlled environment for high school aged students, as well as serious safety and health risks. “
• Safety Concerns: Parents worry about not being able to contact their children directly during emergencies. During the school shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County earlier this year, students used their cellphones to send urgent messages to their parents, providing real-time updates and — in some cases — what they feared might be final goodbyes.
As school shootings continue to happen, this reality is not far from the minds of parents and students when discussing the role they would like to see cell phones play in schools.
• Practicality: Many classes integrate phones into lessons, making a blanket ban potentially disruptive.
🌍 The Big Picture: Marietta’s deliberation reflects a broader cultural tension: How do parents and educators raise a generation of digital natives without letting devices dominate their lives? Research links smartphone overuse to anxiety, depression, and sleep issues in teens, but outright bans raise questions about personal freedom and adaptability in a tech-driven world.
💬 Community Voices Needed: As the district gathers feedback through surveys, forums, and expert consultations, the outcome may hinge on public input. Rivera emphasized that the final decision would rest on whether staff, students, and families believe the policy would be effective.
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.
