this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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Technology

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‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 days ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
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Strict bans on mobile phones in schools have “close to zero” impact on student learning and show no evidence of improvements in attendance or online bullying, a study has found.

Researchers at US universities including Stanford and Duke looked at nearly 1,800 US schools where students’ phones were kept in locked pouches and found little or no differences in outcomes compared with similar schools without strict bans.

The report concluded that among schools instituting a ban: “For academic achievement, average effects on test scores are consistently close to zero.”

The results will come as a disappointment to teaching unions and campaigners in England who backed the government’s recent move to restrict the use of mobile phones in schools. A ban is likely to come into force next year.

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[–] reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

All the subtle techniques eventually produce enough evidence to sum up one's observations into a really big and gross elephant. Standing right there.

That’s such a great description, you somehow start being able to see through the mist if you pay attention to a topic for long enough and the details coalesce into a clear picture of the situation.

I’m sure the wool is still over my eyes on some important things but my bullshit detector is constantly improving.

Also, agreed, let’s put the elephants in charge.

[–] PolarKraken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Thanks, it's at least a familiar metaphor (-ish), but I've always struggled to describe the feeling well. I do think something like "seeing a shape in the mist" does a good job capturing it too. How it's obviously there but still hard to identify, easy for others to dismiss, etc. It's all the things you should be seeing but don't.

Anyway, same, on the wool and BS detector. How do you like your instance btw, on precisely that topic? I don't know a lot of details about that one but I feel like I see good info and takes from y'all more often than not. What's your experience there been?

[–] reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We are pretty small and I haven’t seen any real conflict play out within the community in my time here. The admins are anarchist and I think we agree on the things that matter most. The community isn’t explicitly anarchist (we want to be a good landing pad for all solarpunks). I haven’t seen misplaced hatred or bigotry coming out of our community. I’m a pretty happy camper.