Look around. Do you see anyone who doesn’t own a smartphone? No. That’s because a teen’s life wouldn’t be complete without it. Smartphones are very reliable sources of technology that are used everyday to communicate, play games, and learn.

Quizlet, Photomath, and Kahoot are the few of many apps on students’ smartphones that can help them in school. Sometimes smartphones are not used in the appropriate ways they should be used in class. They provide a source of learning for everyone, but also serves as a distraction. Do smartphones help students in their academics?

Although smartphones should not be used during class without teacher approval, innumerous kids whip out their phones to check Snapchat stories without thinking about the consequences. This causes a constant distraction during class time for the students and the teacher. The teacher can’t teach when half of their students are scrolling through Instagram while the other half dozes off.

According to The Atlantic, “Research supporting the idea that smartphones-specifically-can be used to enhance learning for all students, even underachievers, is hard to find”. This is because it depends whether or not if phones are used in the appropriate learning way. In which many do not.

Students nowadays use their phones to text their friends or snapchat them during class. Not only do smartphones create a distraction to many, they make things “easier” for them. Meaning that students can take pictures of their homework or test answers to send to their classmates. This is why some students struggle during exams. They don’t have time to study on their own, and they rely on their classmates to send them answers.

The increased use of phones in school is causing an increase in cheating on tests and even statewide exams. According to Baltimore Sun, two tenth graders from Maryland posted pictures of their English state assessment on Twitter. “Social media has been a factor in cheating on high state tests…but the problem is now cropping up with younger students taking standardized tests”.

Although not everyone uses their phones for social media, there are a few out there who are using their smartphones for educational purposes. They have multiple uses such as writing notes, documents, and doing an online review. The dedication to focus on school is hard when there’s a phone in your pocket awaiting to be unlocked.