To the Editor:
Re “Did Bans on Cellphones in Schools Work? Study Finds Results Are Mixed” (news article, May 5):
As a father of two, I understand the appeal of cellphone bans. Every parent wants fewer distractions, better grades and more focus for their children. But as the new study noted in this article shows, bans may not be the silver bullet that some suggest.
While strict bans have reduced phone use, it seems that this has had little effect on test scores and has actually led to an initial rise in suspensions. And they often fall short of providing what many parents feel is best for their children.
New research from the Coalition to Empower Our Future, which I lead, found that roughly 75 percent of parents prefer a comprehensive set of youth mental health solutions to a strict focus on a single factor like technology. Nearly 80 percent said approaches that ban or heavily restrict phone use risk unintended consequences.
Kids are growing up (and we are parenting) in an increasingly digital world. We can’t put that genie back in the bottle. Our focus should be on helping kids build good judgment, setting boundaries, teaching digital literacy and facilitating open communication.
Glen Weiner Tarrytown, N.Y.
To the Editor:
I’ll admit that my initial reaction to Australia’s social media ban for teenagers was skepticism. As a teenager, I know that there are ways to get around restrictions like these. But a complete ban almost never works. After all, we want more of what we can’t have.
When my parents first established screen time limits (rather than a total ban) on my phone, it forced me to ration my time on certain apps and re-evaluate what I was using social media for in the first place.
Often it was for what we Gen-Zers call doomscrolling instead of its intended purpose: connection. I became more cognizant of how little I was truly interacting with my friends, but I realized it wasn’t necessary since I saw most of them at school anyway.
Today, even without screen time limits, I don’t use social media for more than half an hour each day. It might have seemed like the end of the world when my daily doomscroll time was limited to an hour, but in the end, it worked. And I think it worked because it wasn’t absolute.
Valerie Lai Vienna, Va.
Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
To the Editor:
Re “Officials Are Said to Weigh Closing ‘Alligator Alcatraz’” (news article, May 8):
The talks between Florida officials and the Trump administration on closing the detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz are a welcome step. This facility should be shut down.
At more than $1 million a day, the cost of operating the site is staggering. But the bigger issue is the cruelty and human rights abuses taking place there.
Amnesty International researchers visited Alligator Alcatraz and documented cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of the people being detained there. Conditions are unsanitary: For example, fecal matter from overflowing toilets seeps into sleeping areas, and some of the food contains maggots.
Necessary medical care is inconsistent or denied altogether. Some people describe being forced into a small outdoor cage-like structure known as the box — a punishment that amounts to torture.
What we found at Alligator Alcatraz reflects a deliberate pattern of neglect meant to dehumanize and punish those detained there and spread fear through immigrant communities.
Tax dollars should not be used to punish people seeking to build a new life in the United States. The government should not treat people this way, at any cost or under any circumstances.
Amy Fischer Washington The writer is the director of refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA.
Trump’s Vulgar Language
To the Editor:
Invariably when I turn on the news, I am greeted with President Trump’s unpresidential diatribe of some kind. His vulgar language is cringeworthy.
His messages are vile and reprehensible. Unfortunately, our children are continuously exposed to his crude language.
As Americans, we cannot lackadaisically normalize his behavior. It cheapens and degrades us. It also gives license to impressionable people to attack and demean others. Yet sadly we endure it because Mr. Trump is incredibly incapable of controlling himself.
Joanne E. Reed Rye, N.Y.
The post Facing the Reality of Cellphones in School appeared first on New York Times.
