With regards to the new phone policy; I thoroughly credit the positive effects it has in our school community. Classes are now able to run smoothly without our teachers having to announce disruptions, as it is able to take tremendous weight off of their shoulders, and phones have become less of a distraction overall. Before these rules were established; I was a frequent witness of the abuse of powers from technology, as I constantly saw lit screens hidden underneath a desk, or phones being used behind staffs backs. Now that these rules have been implemented, students have more time to use on their work, as well as learning life skills. These rules not only apply now, but are useful to use for future situations. When we are all eventually in the work force –or simple life situations– we are not able to use our phones continuously throughout the day. This is getting us ready for the near future, preparing us for the wave of reality for when we’re older. Not only can this better our academics, it can better our overall mental health from having less phone usage throughout the day. When our eyes are being in use for such long periods of time, there are exponential issues that soon pile up. Digital eye strain can occur when the user is on the device for an excessive amount, nor is continuous amounts of social media healthy for our developing minds; although, the situation wasn’t as severe nor was it on hours on end. The point at hand is that our brain is able to handle more when we take that stress off of ourselves. There isn’t a constant need to check your status nor socials anymore, as it can even be redundant nowadays to press the home button to see if there is a notification. Not only does the new policy implement good etiquette, we are also enforcing punishments to those who are disobeying. It is establishing good life skills for how things work in the real word. We should further instill these values to our peers and encourage these rules to be followed, as in the real world, nothing can ever come as easy as some of us intend it to be. Announcing discipline is announcing boundaries, and if said boundaries are crossed, it is good to take action to implement strong beliefs within the younger generation. The standpoint here is that the new phone policy has a good outlook, as cellphone overuse has been a leading cause of anxiety, depression and suicidal rates rising (National Library of Medicine). Having this opportunity to unplug should be welcomed, as it’s helping us free our minds from the stress social media can be. There is plenty of time to use your phone at home, but while in school, that is no time to have your phone out when you’re expected to be listening, learning, and paying attention.