WASHINGTON (July 24, 2024) – New York City recently announced it's considering a plan to ban cellphones in its roughly 1,600 schools. The potential ban would start in February. New York City is home to the nation’s largest school district. Cellphone bans have been considered and enacted in other school districts across the country, including in Virginia and California. Los Angeles school board officials cited concerns about the devices distracting students from learning, leading to anxiety, and allowing cyberbullying.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on cellphone bans in schools. If you’d like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Vikram R. Bhargava, assistant professor of strategic management & public policy at the George Washington University. Bhargava’s research centers around the distinctive ethics and policy issues that technology gives rise to in organizational contexts. He is interested in topics including technology addiction, mass social media outrage, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, hiring algorithms, the future of work, and other topics related to technology policy and ethics. Bhargava authored a research article in Business Ethics Quarterly, titled "Ethics of the Attention Economy: The Problem of Social Media Addiction", which dives into why scholars, policy makers, and the managers of social media companies should treat social media addiction as a serious moral problem. Previously, Bhargava was also a 3rd and 4th grade teacher.
Lorenzo Norris, is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and chief wellness officer at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Rhonda Schwindt, is an associate professor at the GW School of Nursing. She is a nationally certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner.
Dr. Mary DeRaedt is an assistant professor of counseling and human development at GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. DeRaedt is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and a Nationally Certified Counselor with a Doctorate in Counseling and Supervision. She provides psychotherapy for people of all ages at the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education. Her doctoral work was completed at the George Washington University where she focused on effective treatments for children and adolescents coping with trauma, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, depression, behavior disorders and disordered eating.
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