Cell phones are ingrained in youth culture. From Instagram to TikTok and everything in between, phones seem to consume the lives of young people. The constant stream of media can be distracting, especially in the middle of the school day.

St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire, Canada (located on Montreal’s West Island) has entirely banned phone usage during the school day. Students are required to leave their phones in their lockers, removing the possibility of distraction during and in between classes.

According to the new rule, teachers and administrators can confiscate a student’s phone if they are caught using it during school hours. It will be held for the day, and the student can retrieve it after classes. If this occurs three times, only a parent or guardian can collect the phone at the end of the day.

While extreme, the new rules and resulting punishments enforce the school’s want for attentive students. Phones can have a productive purpose in the classroom, such as online class games or looking up class-related information; but if not monitored, students can use their phones for unrelated reasons.

I think it goes without saying that people have become dependent on their phones. Teenagers and young adults are drawn in even more because of social media and thus, phones can be more interesting than what is happening in class. It is understandable to attempt to limit students’ phone time.

However, requiring students to leave their phones in their locker may not be the best idea, particularly in dangerous situations.

A “dangerous situation” could range from a severe allergic reaction to an active shooter. In any instance, students and parents may be more comfortable knowing direct communication is readily accessible.

Clearly, high school and college are structured differently, especially with classroom hours, but take the incident of St. Thomas’ most recent bomb threat — communication through cell phones was imperative. The school sent text and email alerts to students, faculty and staff, and from there, they could inform their families.

The first thing I did after receiving the alert was text my family’s group chat. Had anything like this happened while I was in high school, I imagine I would have done the same thing. Most high schools have automatic communication with parents, but these are general alerts, meaning they are not regarding a specific student. Therefore, a parent may not know if their child specifically is safe or not. It would be beneficial for parents and students to have direct communication with each other.

This is the dilemma administrators face when creating rules around cell phones. Although worthwhile, the debate of cell phone use in classrooms is not the main issue. Students stowing their phones in their lockers or putting them in a locked pouch until the end of the day would cut down on distractions, but it could potentially hinder safety and communication during a crisis.

If anything, schools should focus on teaching students how to manage their phone usage and how to healthily integrate it into their lives. Students should be taught to respect classroom time and focus on coursework, while still having access to their phone for emergencies and between class periods.

Maddie Peters can be reached at pete9542@stthomas.edu.