Focused on Learning

In today’s world, access to information and connection to others can be most easily found in a small rectangular device in our back pockets. Gone are the days when you had to go to the library to research an issue or find an answer to a question in a book. We no longer have phone booths or even landlines when trying to reach someone by phone. With the internet and phone combined in our back pockets, access to information and others has never been easier than it is today.

Ironically enough, as our technology advances and we find new, innovative ways for our cell phones to provide us with immediate access to the world, we are losing vital skills as it relates to critical thinking, attention spans, and communication. Cell phones were ultimately created to connect but have instead created more disconnection. Because of cell phone use among young people, distraction in the classroom has never been more concerning. Social media platforms have been intentionally created to become addictive, and even with teachers standing at the front of the classroom, they’re now competing for attention from students, and test scores have become the unfortunate collateral damage.

According to The Nation’s Report Card, test scores in schools across the country have been steeply declining since 2012, presumably in direct correlation to students’ cell phone use. And what’s worse, this cell phone use, even outside of the classroom, seems to also have dire impacts on the mental well-being of our young people. Many students will even tell you they feel less anxious when they put their phones away. As research is being conducted in scholarly settings about this epidemic, there is a large gap in data on the real-time effects of cell phone use in classrooms and its impact on the learning and mental health of students.

That’s why, this week, I proudly introduced the Focus on Learning Act, a bicameral bill that has received immense bipartisan support directly aimed at ensuring students are equipped to excel in the classroom, distraction-free. This bill instructs the U.S. Surgeon General to study the effects of cell phone use in schools and the impact on students’ mental health and academic performance. The legislation also implements a nationwide pilot program that provides students with secure containers to store their cell phones during school hours. Our young people are our future, and we are responsible for raising them to be successful, strong individuals. 

Numerous states, Arkansas included, have already paved the way for progress through various initiatives that will curb cell phone use among students. Distraction and disconnection among young people have never been higher, and I applaud the efforts by Governor Sanders and the Arkansas Legislature who are implementing similar policies at the state level and Senator Tom Cotton as he introduced this bill in the Senate last week. Once again, Arkansas continues to create the blueprint for better legislation for our students and school systems, and I look forward to seeing the positive effects in years to come.