School Cell Phone Bans and Freedom: Plato vs. John Stuart Mill
On May 9, 2025, the New York State Senate passed a bill issuing a state-wide requirement to not allow students to have access to cell phones during school hours. Currently, there are many snaps to the bill on both sides. Many agree with the bill and believe that the use of cell phones and specifically social media in school is detrimental to mental health, while others believe that parents deserve to be able to contact their kids at any given minute in school. Rather than rushing to react, I prefer to pause and return to think about the wisdom of past philosophers. A lot of the other things they focused on are still relevant today. Maybe their thoughts on education could prove to be useful today as well.
If Plato were alive today, he’d probably nod in approval at New York’s new bell-to-bell cell phone ban. Why is this? For Plato, education isn’t just about stuffing kids with facts — it’s about shaping their souls, their focus, and their sense of what’s good and just. In his text The Republic, he describes the importance of carefully controlling the influences that reach young people, because they are the ones who will end up shaping society later on. Just as he argued that children should not be exposed to harmful myths or bad role models in the past, he would see cell phones as a distraction that keeps students deceived and unproductive rather than guiding them toward a virtuous life.
Plato argues that society has a duty to guide the young firmly, even if it feels strict. Freedom, in his view, comes not from indulging every impulse but from disciplining the mind to grasp higher truths. By taking away cell phones during school hours, New York is creating a space where students can focus on developing reason, self-control, and the virtues that will serve them for life. For Plato, that’s not just good policy — it’s good philosophy.
19th-century philosopher John Stuart Mill, however, would have serious doubts about New York’s new ban on cell phones in schools. Mill would question if we are raising students to be free thinkers, or are we raising them to just be a gear in a clock? A blanket ban like this affects everyone in the same way, assuming they can’t handle responsibility. But in Mill’s view, liberty should only be restricted if someone's belief or action harms another person—not a student checking their phone in school. Students, Mill would argue, deserve more independence and a say in a state-wide ban for cell phones.
At the end of the day, the cell phone ban is about more than just screens. Plato would say rules like this help kids grow into better people, while Mill would warn that too many rules can crush freedom, and a ban on cell phones is just the start. Maybe the real answer is somewhere in between: getting the correct rules in place to keep students focused, but also teaching them how to handle freedom on their own. Looking back on what philosophers said helps us see both sides and make fair choices. Their ideas remind us that real justice means finding balance, not just picking one side. Thinking about their views can help us make rules that are fair for everyone, not just what seems right at the moment.
