You’ll rarely find someone more tech-positive than I am, but even I have my limits. Knowing what I know about kids, teens, and technology, I know for a fact that there’s one place the next big iPhone (probably the iPhone 16) doesn’t belong, and that’s in the classroom.
We’re likely only a few weeks away from Apple unveiling a collection of iPhone 16 devices, including the iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 Plus. I suspect every model will be equipped to run the long-awaited Apple Intelligence, Apple’s first attempt at integrated generative AI.
When Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage on September 10, the latest estimates suggest he’ll tout design updates, a faster piece of Apple Silicon (likely in an A18 line of mobile CPUs), and, of course, all the Apple Intelligence capabilities.
If there is one place where being online or on social media is a constant source of distraction from notifications, it is in schools and the classroom.
Cook will be speaking as millions of children in the U.S. are returning to public school (elementary and middle school). However, he is unlikely to say anything about the back-to-school set, though perhaps he should.
What I’d love to hear from Cook is something like, “The all-new iPhone 16 is a beautiful device, made more powerful by Apple Intelligence. Because it understands your iPhone and you, it can help you in every part of your life, and it should, every part except the classroom, where iPhone has no place.”
Cook won’t say that, nor would executives at Samsung, Google or any other company that makes widely available and popular smartphones.
That could be a shame, because while global adoption of smartphone technology is a net positive, its impact For children and teenagers it is questionable whether they are constantly onlineAnd if there’s one place where being online or on social media and constantly being interrupted by notifications has a potentially negative impact, it’s in schools and the classroom.
Start early
Most studies, including a relatively recent study by Common Sense Media, point to Children are given a smartphone from the age of 10. 8- to 13-year-olds spend an average of 5.5 hours staring at screens. That time jumps to almost 9 hours for those between 13 and 18. It makes sense that a large portion of that time occurs during school hours.
Last year, Common Sense Media found that teens receive 273 notifications per day. If they are on recess or outside of school hours, that might be okay, but imagine how disruptive it can be during school hours, especially when the notifications come from social media, which can sometimes trigger intense feelings of being left out.
In the US, there has been a wave of kindergarten through high school in public school districts banning the use of mobile phones in schools. A small number of U.S. states are passing laws that further restrict their use. That level of control may seem like a nanny state move, but the statistics above make it pretty clear that young students are not policing themselves.
It’s not that I blame Apple, Samsung, or any other smartphone company. I’m just as guilty as everyone else. I’ve written about these great phones, and while I waited to give my kids smartphones when they were young, I did give them feature phones when they were old enough to walk to school. I did this primarily so they could text when they got home and when they needed us. We never texted them when they were in class.
Every iPhone that parents now give their children and teens is a door to a much bigger world, and even with built-in parental control protections and spoken and sometimes written agreements between parents and their children about what they will and won’t do online, there’s always a chance the rules can be circumvented. It can be hard not to join in when everyone your friends are doing it.
Granted, there are important controls built into your current iPhone to manage a child’s screen time and app access. Both can be restricted, and a Focus Mode that only lets through critical pings during school hours is a step in the right direction. However, in my experience, kids, preteens, and teens are a tech-savvy and crafty bunch who can also find ways to circumvent controls. If they can figure out a way to disable either of these, all bets are off.
The introduction of the iPhone 16 and Apple Intelligence may be more of a cause for concern in the classroom. I doubt most teachers would have a problem with native summarization tools, but writing support might be a different story. Again, if students and parents start to see the iPhone and Apple Intelligence as educational tools, they might advocate for their use in the classroom. But that’s a slippery slope, because you can’t let AI in without social media access sneaking in right behind.
Reward versus risk
The risks of harm from social media, including anxiety and depression, do not outweigh the value that an iPhone or other smartphone can bring to the classroom. I don’t think of school-issued tablets the same way I do the best iPads. Teachers can hand them to students, create a lesson plan, and pick them up when they’re done. No one puts them in their pocket or backpack, and no one gets personal and social media notifications about them.
Rather than leaving iPhones and other smartphones out of the classroom, Apple still has the opportunity to enhance iOS 18 and the upcoming iPhone 16 with something called a new School Mode. Parents already manage their kids’ accounts through Family Accounts. What if they could work with district-level School Mode accounts that could automatically enable Do Not Disturb Mode when students start the school day? With parental permission, it could monitor social media access during school hours and alert parents or simply pop up an alert for students.
All eyes will be on Tim Cook when he launches the anticipated iPhone 16 next month. I suggest he uses that bully pulpit to remind people that the iPhone is an excellent tool almost everywhere except the classroom—and for those seven or eight hours, it’s best to leave your constant digital companion in your locker or classroom storage bin.