Starting this year, the Morris Hills Regional District Superintendent of Schools, Nicholas J. Norcia implemented new technology regulations which included banning cell phones from classes.

In previous years Morris Knolls had comparatively little to no technology regulations: students were able to have their phones at their desks in many classes, but now, the classrooms only allow for the school issued chromebooks. Mr. Norcia emailed a letter to the Morris Hills Regional District community on July 30, 2025 explaining the new regulations.

He stated that the new rules would “enhance our learning environment and promote greater student engagement during instructional time.” One of the major influences of this decision comes from research presented in The Anxious Generation, a book by author and Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

The book dives into the mental health aspect of why and how teenagers today are more prone to mental illness than in previous generations. In his book, Haidt claims that social media paradoxically isolates people.  He then goes on to say, “People don’t get depressed when they face threats collectively; they get depressed when they feel isolated, lonely, or useless.” He focuses on this idea while talking specifically about those born after the year 1995, these individuals are identified as part of the Anxious Generation. 

The book claims that some  effects of introducing technology early in one’s life are sleep deprivation, addiction, loneliness, and the tendency to regularly compare oneself to others. The technology access that teens have now allow a view into other people’s lives and help a lot with comparisons of things like GPA’s and overall lives that are better than others.

A student’s GPA is highly connected to their mental health. The effects like depression and sleep deprivation make it so that teens are spending less and less time revolving around schools as a whole. The technology that allows students to communicate with each other about their grades can affect them badly.

Many students are conflicted about the technology situation this school year even with the email being sent out in the beginning of the year. Some say that they understand that this ban could bring a lot of good things to the school, but also wish to have their phones as a sort of safety blanket.

Most of the student body are used to having their phones on them all of the time including during school hours. The sudden change from being allowed to have a phone in most classes has forced students to adjust. Freshman student Katherine Sarmiento explained that not having her phone is, “making [her] more stressed because [she wants] to get to [her] phone.” Sarmiento explained that she believes others feel this way as well.

The ban doesn’t seem to be affecting upperclassmen as much as younger students. Robin Seltzer, a Senior at Morris Knolls, shrugged off the ban stating that she’s “personally fine with it” and that the technology ban isn’t affecting people horribly, but actually improving the focus in the classes that she has.

Ninth and eleventh grade English teacher Mrs. Lakatos feels that the new cell phone policy is good for Morris Knolls. She has worked as a teacher for about ten  years, half of them have been at Knolls. She states, “I have always collected cell phones in my class” but it was hard to uphold because it wasn’t previously a school-wide rule. 

When asked about what specifically makes putting away the phones so important for the class, Mrs. Lakatos answered that she thinks of the social interactions that come from not automatically moving to a phone. By limiting the comfort of going to a cell phone, students try to find new ways to entertain themselves by talking to their teachers or their classmates, thereby promoting and strengthening personal bonds.

News in the Digital Age teacher, Ms. Pennisi said that she also feels the ban is important. She reports that not having phones in class “helps students focus” on the task at hand. Furthermore, she believes that the enforcement of the new technology will benefit students.

Could the ban potentially slowly start grounding teenagers that are constantly living their life with their phone as their right-hand-man? Social Psychologists like Johnathan Haidit will continue to study the effects of how technology affects the newer generations. By limiting cellphone access, students can focus on their work improving their GPA.