EDITORIAL: Get phones out of the classroom

Silicon Valley spends tens of billions of dollars making smartphones and social media apps as addictive as possible. That alone should make it obvious that classrooms and phones aren’t a good mix.

This month, the British Department of Education issued new guidelines forbidding cellphone use in the nation’s schools. That includes times between classes and other breaks. The department noted that data showed almost 30 percent of older students reported cellphones being used in class. The goal is “to tackle disruptive behavior and online bullying while boosting attention during lessons. It aims to support the wider work the government is doing to raise standards in schools by increasing students’ focus and reducing distractions,” the department said.

The guidelines aren’t mandatory, but if schools fail to implement them, the government may write them into law. One suspects most schools will be eager to have this rule in place.

Focus is essential to learning, but it isn’t an easy task. Many adults struggle with it. But it must be done to learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s also essential when proofreading, studying history, conducting science experiments and solving algebra problems. But phones provide constant temptation. To expect teenagers to resist is setting them and schools up for failure.

“This is a fantastic move forward for ensuring that students are able to work, learn and grow in a place free from the distracting influence of mobile phones,” school behavior adviser Tom Bennett said. “Schools that have already banned them report that students are safer, happier and able to focus far more than they were before — and it’s popular with them too.”

Britain isn’t the first country to do this. Italy, France and Portugal have already done so.

School districts in the United States should pay heed. Last year, Pew Research Center found 46 percent of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly.” On average, teens use their phones more than seven hours a day for entertainment — not including time for school and homework. To think, phones aren’t distracting these students at school is a fantasy.

Students aren’t doing well here in the Clark County School District. Just 39 percent of third- through eighth-graders are proficient in English. In math, it’s 28.2 percent. Among 11th graders, 45.9 percent are proficient in English, and less than 20 percent are proficient in math. School choice remains the systemic solution, but smaller changes can help improve things now.

The district has given schools more leeway to impose cellphone policies to minimize disruptions. That’s a start. Superintendent Jesus Jara should also consider a ban on cellphones during class time.