Most schools prohibit students from using their cellphones during class time, but is this a necessary restriction? Sure, being on your phone while a teacher is giving a lecture is disrespectful, but at the end of the day it’s the students choice whether to do that or not. In college, students typically have full freedom over what they do during lectures since they’re paying for school. The thing is students should have a choice whether or not to use their phone in class because at the end of the day they’re the ones who may or may not perform well in class.

This restriction makes sense for middle schoolers and below because they’re not really at the point of making mature decisions. High schoolers, however, should be allowed to do what they want. At that age, students know that the things they do have consequences. If they use their phone in class, they may not do so well, so just let them. And who knows, maybe a student who uses their phone in class all the time has an A because it’s too easy, so they need something to do to pass the time. The overall quality of life in school would improve if students were just allowed to use their phones whenever they want. A life lesson can even come out of it. Think about it, students get the choice whether or not to use their cellphones, teaching them how to use their time responsibly. 

Same thing goes for earbuds and music. It’s obvious that teachers don’t like the idea of students wearing earbuds, since it seems like they’re being ignored. But has it ever halted the progression of a lesson or caused someone to fail? The University of Maryland Medical Center has conducted research that states “that students should ‘listen to music. Music is an effective stress reducer in both healthy individuals and people with health problems. Research finds that listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients’” (UMD Medical Center).

When the pros and cons are weighed, students having freedom over listening to music and using their phone in class, the pros weigh out the cons. Music helps students focus and helps alleviate stress. Letting them choose whether or not to use their phone lets them learn to be responsible with their time, and allows them to connect with their high school peers while they’re still around. Also not going to name names, but everyone has at least one class that is super easy and could use something to kill time. Which is where being allowed to use a phone comes in handy. Boredom can get you worse grades than a phone ever could.