Some educators estimate that by middle school, close to 90% of kids have a cell phone of some kind.
Dr. Kevin Martin, principal of Parkway Northeast Middle School, told KMOX's Megan Lynch that students at his school are allowed to bring their phones to school, but they need to keep them in their lockers out of sight for the school day.
The only exception, Dr. Martin said, is that seventh and eight graders can use them at lunch -- and that privilege will be phased out over the next few years.
"It's one of the few times kids have time to socialize with each other. And what we're finding is kids are going right to their cell phone instead of socializing with others," he said. "And they're lacking some of those skills of how to interact with others socially."
Martin said there are some instances where kids having phones with them would be good, like in the case of an emergency. But he said there are other options.
"We're mindful of making sure parents have accessibility to their kids, whether it's we have class phones in every classroom that are accessible if someone needs to call if there is an emergency," he said. "They also have their Chromebook to email. But also we're not saying kids can't bring it from school. I understand kids have to walk to and from bus stops."
He said that viral videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram all cause disruption in the classroom. Plus, kids sometimes take photos of their classmates and post them online.
"Middle school kids' minds aren't fully developed. So they're not necessarily thinking rationally of the consequences of some of their actions," Martin said.
Listen to more on the issue of phones in schools:
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