Educators and parents across the country agree that phones are a major distraction in schools. With phone ban laws popping up across states, schools’ first reaction was to purchase $19 million worth in Yondr pouches to control phone use throughout the country.
But The New York Times found that students could easily hack the pouches. And while it’s clear that Yondr pouches aren’t working, the article left a critical question unanswered: what does work?
Madison Kircher and Callie Holtermann detailed how students across the country easily get around Yondr pouches at school. They slam them on tables. They put a fake phone inside the pouch. Or they buy a strong magnet for $10 on Amazon to unlock the phones themselves. Schools spend $20-$25 per pouch per student, and yet they’re not working the way they were intended to at all.
And if you scroll through the comments of the article, you’ll see that most of the solutions schools are using aren’t successfully stopping distractions. Yondr isn’t working, nor are teachers as phone police. Phones in cubbies work better, but this still places a logistical burden on already burnt-out teachers.
One option that was not explored was how technology can help manage phone use at schools. Phones themselves aren’t the problem–its all of the addictive apps that are on them. So what if distractions could be shut off instead of removing phones from students completely?
This can be accomplished with TRUCE Family, an app that uses geofencing technology to shut off phone distractions at school during the school day. When students walk on campus, distracting apps like TikTok and Instagram are automatically turned off. And with our dashboard, administrators can see who has the app on their phone and use that to take attendance (similarly to how phones in shoe caddies serve as an attendance taking strategy).
Focus time can be tailored to each school. Some may choose to open up apps during lunch while others may decide to keep them off. Each school can choose what apps to shut off so that it fits their school community’s needs.
One of Yondr’s fundamental flaws is its one-size-fits all nature that doesn’t account for individual student needs. The pouches completely separate students from their devices ignoring critical needs like access to a medical app or translation capabilities. While exceptions can be made with Yondr pouches, this can also single students out for having a unique requirement.
Technology solutions like TRUCE Family can tailor access to apps so all students can stay focused while also meeting their needs. Since apps are on phones, students won’t be visibly singled out if they do need access to their phone during the day.
The New York Times article made it very clear that Yondr isn’t working. But the solution to phones in schools was left open. With a little technology, students and teachers can get their lives back without having to sacrifice safety, time, or focus. No hackable pouches needed.
How is your school addressing the phone dilemma on campus? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Want to learn how TRUCE can help your school manage phone use? Let’s talk.
0 comments