NYC Teens Adapt to Smartphone Ban with Creative Alternatives

New York City students are navigating a new reality as the statewide smartphone ban takes effect. Just one week into the policy, teens are finding innovative ways to engage with one another and adapt to life without their devices. From playing cards to using vintage technology, students are embracing a lower-tech lifestyle in schools across the district.

Creative Alternatives Take Center Stage

In the absence of smartphones, items such as Polaroids, walkie-talkies, and decks of cards have become popular among students. Alia Soliman, a senior at Bronx Science, noted that cards are “making a big comeback.” Students are now enjoying games like poker and Uno during downtime. “It seems to be very fun and engaging,” Soliman remarked. She also mentioned her peers using digital cameras to capture moments, saying, “I’ve seen some of my friends bring in digicams. A lot of people are bringing in Polaroids.”

The ban has prompted students to explore other technologies, with some considering whether devices like MP3 players would be permitted for listening to music while studying. “I’ll test the waters,” she added. In Manhattan, Ethan Myer, a senior at Union Square Academy, shared that the ban has led to increased physical activity as students roam the hallways with fewer distractions. “Most people are just walking around the hall, because there’s not really much else to do,” he said.

Jem Bryant, a junior at Gramercy Arts High School, reflected on the change in social dynamics, expressing, “I don’t really have a lot of friends in classes. So when they say ‘do your classwork’ and I’m already done, I literally just have to sit there and stare at the wall.” While some students initially opposed the ban, others like Soliman are beginning to see its positive aspects. “I’m still not thrilled,” she said. “But people are reading more. The younger kids are socializing more.”

Changes in Classroom Dynamics

The ban has significantly altered the atmosphere in schools. Peter Schmidt-Nowara, a teacher and dean at Brooklyn Tech, noted that the hallways and lunchroom are noticeably louder, attributing this to students engaging more with one another. “It was muted. It’s really lifted a pall,” he explained, contrasting current interactions with last year’s trend of students retreating to bathrooms to check their phones.

Schmidt-Nowara highlighted the creativity emerging from the ban, recalling a group of boys who brought in a transistor radio. “They didn’t realize they had to lift the antenna, so I lifted it for them. The music wasn’t that loud and it was quite sweet,” he said.

Despite the adaptability, some students have found workarounds. Solangel Santana, a senior at Union Square Academy, acknowledged that while no one admitted to owning burner phones, some classmates are using decoys. “Not to rat anyone out, but some people have fake phones,” she said. Other students have resorted to sending emails or communicating through Google Docs on school-issued devices.

The video-sharing app TikTok is filled with clips of students attempting to break into the pouches designed to secure phones. “They slam it,” noted Esmeralda Jaramillo, a junior at Gramercy Arts. Soliman mentioned students sometimes leave the building to check messages or play games during breaks. “The benches are always full,” she said.

During a recent press conference at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged the resourcefulness of teenagers. “This is all part of their creative spirit and energy,” he remarked, reflecting on similar tactics from his own school days. Adams announced the distribution of 350,000 internet-enabled Chromebooks as part of the city’s initiative to ensure all students have access to technology while personal devices remain prohibited.

Schools have implemented various strategies to enforce the ban, primarily by collecting phones at arrival and storing them in lockers or providing magnetic pouches that lock and unlock at the start and end of the school day. Bryant described the chaos during the end-of-day routine, stating, “They’ll be like, ‘Single-file line,’ but it will not be a single-file line and people will just bum-rush the magnets.”

Students at LaGuardia High School experienced long lines during the initial days of the policy. Laila Lawrence, a 16-year-old student, expressed frustration over being late to class due to the phone collection process. “The teachers are the first ones to complain, ‘Oh, you were late, da da da da.’ I’m like, ‘I was on the line, like, what do you want me to do?’”

Lawrence’s perspective on the ban is mixed. “I think it’s good and bad because phones are obviously a problem,” she said. “I’m not gonna say like I’m not addicted to my phone ’cause I am, but at the same time I’m like no one in the school is like purposely on their phone in the middle of class.”

As New York City students continue to adapt to life without smartphones, they are discovering new ways to connect and engage with their surroundings. The transition, while challenging, appears to foster creativity and social interaction in unexpected ways.