“Students, and all of us, learn best when we are present and engaged.” With these words, Head of School Robert W. Hill announced Williston’s boldest cell phone policy yet in an email to students and families before the start of the school year.
The new rule is clear: phones are banned during the academic day, with only three “acceptable use” zones permitted. Hill explained the reasoning: “Attention is a zero-sum equation, and if teenagers are on their phones, they are also not talking to their advisors, listening to friends, experiencing the beauty of the world around them, reading a short story without constant interruptions, or being fully engaged in a meaningful, one-on-one way.”
In his letter, Hill placed Williston in a national debate. He cited The Anxious Generation by NYU professor Jonathan Haidt, who argues that smartphones and addictive app design have fueled a teen mental health crisis. Hill pointed to “a precipitous decline in teenage mental health; increases in pornography consumption and gambling; and a rise in classroom cheating and mean behavior of students to one another through the use of social media.”
Parents and alumni quickly voiced support. Hill recalled that many reactions were “uniformly incredibly supportive—some saying things like, ‘Hallelujah!’” For him, the change is visible every day: “It’s great to see kids talking to each other again on the pathways and in the dining commons. Students’ heads are not tucked into their phones every time they leave a classroom, and it’s created a much more human-centered vibe.”
This year, Williston joins a growing list of schools nationwide banning phones during the academic day. A 2023 Common Sense Media report found teens spend nearly eight hours a day on screens outside of schoolwork. Advocates argue policies like Williston’s are the only way to cut through the noise of addictive design and reclaim students’ focus.
But how does the ban feel inside Williston’s walls?
For some, it’s a helpful step toward healthier habits. Kora Brissett, a junior from Sunderland, MA, admitted, “I would say I’m kind of addicted to my phone… there are times where I kind of itch to use it, but I think the phone policy, at least some parts of it, are doing a good job of sort of taking the addiction part away from the phone and separating the two.”
Others agreed it reduced distraction but bristled at the strictness. “I don’t really agree with the fact that we can’t use it when we’re walking around, especially in the dining hall during the weekends,” junior Karuna Kalyan said. Sarah Lucas, another junior, noted unintended consequences: “Students have usually been going to Tandem instead so they can use their phones or… coming back to their dorms first, then checking if anyone’s going anywhere.”
While the policy focuses on phones, many in the community see it as part of a larger conversation about technology. Just as apps are engineered to hook users with dopamine-driven design, new forms of generative AI pose their own risks and opportunities. Both raise the same central question: how can schools protect students from the addictive pull of technology while also preparing them to use it responsibly in college, careers, and beyond?
Seniors Ashley Zhang and Haruka Okuno pushed the debate further. Ashley said, “Restricting technology could backfire. If last year’s phone policy wasn’t as strict, I feel like I actually spent more time not on my phone. But this year, because I don’t have my phone the whole day, I actually spend my free blocks on my phone constantly.” Haruka added, “If we ignore phones and AI in school, we would be separated from the real world. Technology is everywhere.”
Hill acknowledged this tension, especially as it extends to AI. “It depends on what you mean by AI use and the context. If AI use is Chat doing an essay or homework assignment instead of your brain and hard work, then, yes, I think that’s not a good habit to develop. There’s so much evidence that all-in algorithms have taken volition away from teenagers and affected dopamine levels, and by extension, addictive behaviors.”
At the same time, Hill emphasized moderation: “I would ask students to self-regulate their phone use in the many hours that they are not operating under the class day rules—all of those weekend and evening hours.”
Faculty echoed the mixed outcomes. Mrs. Polin, Academic Dean and Computer Science teacher, said the policy “shows what a healthy boundary feels like,” but admitted restrictions may push some students into avoidance: “We saw it during COVID, when you made some spaces restricted, people just avoided those spaces.”
Students have felt those tradeoffs firsthand. Ashley reflected, “Now… I can’t use my phone during school days, like in classes or texting with my friends back home or with my family. I have to do everything after the school day. And also, like, the fact that I can’t use my phone during school day makes me crave phones even more… I feel like separation anxiety.”
Others shared more nuanced experiences. Nina Kou, a junior, said, “When you put your phones down and talk to people, you’ll think there are more interesting things to do than watching your phones.” Sophomore Mina Mao countered, “Taking my phone away has decreased my efficiency… probably even more during the few weeks before trimester assessments.”
Hill placed these challenges in a broader context: “I think we are at a moment in human history where generative AI and mind-bending algorithms on social media apps pose a threat to teen autonomy, volition, and independence. I think Williston is preparing students to understand a need for balance—if Williston had followed its own rules last year by not having phones in the dining commons, then this year’s change is really just the passing time between classes.”
The broader question, however, remains unresolved: how should schools equip students to balance engagement and technology? Phones may be out of sight in classrooms, but students’ reflections reveal the challenge of fostering meaningful interaction while also preparing for an AI-driven, tech-intensive future.
As Hill concluded in his message, “Those conversations will continue to evolve, but one thing I know for sure: students, and all of us, learn best when we are present and engaged.”
Still, not everyone likes the forced unplugging. Evelyn Tran, a senior from Hanoi, Vietnam, says that ” I’m living back in the 80s, like, I feel like an actual homosapien.”
