1. Cell Phones: What to do with Them
Cell Phones: What to do with Them? Statistics (CTIA wireless industry survey, 2016)
92% of US adults have a cellphone
90% of owners say it’s frequently with them (PEW Research Center, 2015)
31% of owners say they never turn it off (PEW Research Center, 2015)
70% of adults own a smartphone
Americans exchanged more than 2.1 trillion videos, texts and photo messages last year (more than 4 million every minute)
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2. Adults think it’s OK (Rainie & Zickuhr, 2015)
N = 3217 adults (PEW Research Study, 2014)
77% - walking down street
75% - on public transit
38% - at restaurants
5% - at a meeting
Social gatherings
86% stated someone else used
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3. What about in Social Situations?
89% admitted use
86% someone else used
Send or read messages, take photos or videos, receive incoming calls
16% - “No longer interested in group activity”
15% - “To connect with those not at group activity”
10% - “To avoid participating in group discussion”
45% - to post a picture or video of group
41% - share something that occurred in group
38% - get information interesting to group
31% - connect with others known to group
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4. Young Adults (18-29) XX = no significant difference in age groups
90% - on public transportation
86% - waiting in line
78% - walking down the street
50% - at a restaurant
16% - while at a family dinner
11% - at a movie theater or where others are quiet
10% - during a meeting
9% - at a church or worship service
XX = no significant difference in age groups
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5. Recent Studies
Interpersonal motives for cell phone use, face-to-face interaction, and loneliness (Jin & Park, 2010)
Presence of a cell phone could have negative consequences on social interactions (Thornton, et.al, 2014)
Use and abuse of cell phones and text messages in the classroom (Tindall & Bohlander, 2012)
Parent monitoring by cell phone (Weisskirch, 2009)
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6. Interpersonal Motives for Cell Phone Use
232 college age students
Higher levels of interpersonal motives for calling predict an increased use of voice calls and text messaging
Greater amount of face-to-face interaction predicts a greater amount of cell phone use
Greater amount of face-to-face interaction DOES NOT predict a greater amount of text messaging
Higher levels of loneliness were LESS likely to engage in face-to-face interaction, cell phone use and texting
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7. Cell Phone Presence & Performance
Undergraduate students, ages 18-46
N = 54
The “mere presence” of a cell phone may be sufficiently distracting to produce diminished attention and deficits in task performance
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8. Use/Abuse of Cell Phone in Classroom
269 college aged students
97% admitted using cell phones in classroom
Most feel instructors do not know
Easier to receive messages than to send messages
10% admitted sending or receiving texts during an exam
31% stated sending text affected through loss of attention and/or poor grades
Recommendations that a stricter cell phone policy be used in university classrooms
Faculty must enforce the policy for it to be effective AND monitor the use of cell phones
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9. Parent Monitoring 196 parent-adolescent dyads
Parents who create clear expectations for cell phone use may enhance the relationship
Parents who call more frequently – decreased family relations, less truthfulness, and decrease parental knowledge
Adolescent initiated calls – increase truthfulness, increased family relations and increase parental knowledge
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10. School Policies Vary
No restrictions – philosophy of teaching proper choice
Cell phones should not hinder learning – in classrooms only with teacher approval
Cell phones can be used BEFORE and AFTER school, passing periods and during lunch
Cell phones are not allowed during school day including classrooms, passing periods and lunch
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11. Lawson High School’s cell phone policy
Students are not allowed to use portable/cell phones, smart watches/devices, or any other personal electronic communication device during normal school day.  Non-compliance will result in confiscation of device and parent/guardian will need to pick up in office.  Second and subsequent non-compliance shall result in confiscation and/or In School Suspension days or Out of School Suspension days.
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12. Benefits
Elimination of cheating by using devices (through transmission, taking photos of tests or classwork, etc.)
Cyberbullying is essentially eradicated (if they don’t have a way to cyberbully, it doesn’t happen at school)
Eliminates the opportunity to take inappropriate pictures (i.e. in locker rooms, restrooms, etc.)
Improves students’ social and emotional interaction (they aren’t staring at a screen, they are talking, laughing, interacting with each other)
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13. References
Jim, B., & Park, N. (2010). In-person contacts begets calling and texting: Interpersonal motives for cell phone use, face-to-face interaction, and loneliness. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13(6), pp doi: /cyber Rache, R. (May 23, 2016). Americans love wireless data. Retrieved from Rainie, L. & Zickuhr, K. (August 26, 2015) Americans’ views on mobile etiquette. Retrieved from Thornton, B., Faires, A., Robbins, M., & Rollins, E. (2014). The mere presence of a cell phone may be distracting: Implications for attention and task performance. Social Psychology, 45(6), pp doi: / /a Tindall, D. & Bohlander, R. (2012). The use and abuse of cell phones and text messaging in the classroom: A survey of college students. College Teaching, 60, pp doi: / Weisskirch, R. (2009). Parenting by cell phone: Parental monitoring of adolescents and family relations. J Youth Adolescence 38, pp doi: /s
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14. Lynn Knoch knoch@lawsoncardinals.org Dr. Mary Fry mlfry@mnu.edu