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Teens Turn To Old Devices In Wake of School Phone Bans
The new thing to hide in class // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
Amid a growing wave of school districts outright banning smartphone use during school hours, teens are discovering older tech that can — shockingly — play music without an internet connection.
Why It Hits: Nostalgia for analog tech was already on the rise among younger generations seeking ways to disconnect and enjoy a higher-quality experience. Ironically, school boards’ decisions to restrict smartphone use — including New York City’s move last week — may be what pushes the trend into the mainstream.
Between The Lines: What was banned in schools in 2008 is now welcome in 2025.
Kids are now bringing CD players, Walkmans, iPod Nanos, and other MP3 players to class instead of their smartphones… which either may be hand-me-downs from parents or found on auction sites.
That’s because even without texting or scrolling social media during school hours, students still want to be able to listen to music — whether to focus or decompress during study hall or at lunch break, per The NYT.
Hilariously, the kids are having to learn how to put the music on the digital devices — a crash course in file management.
The Future: So far, the introduction of these old-school devices has been mixed. A high school in Missouri emailed students asking them to leave their new MP3 players at home. Meanwhile, a high school in New Hampshire only bans internet-connected devices — so early-aughts Best Buy faves are fair game. Parents are already noting that kids seem to be socializing more since the bans were implemented.
Getting your head out of a screen is a great way to get more face time with friends. Who knew?
Next Up: Since these devices require students to buy music as digital downloads or physical albums, the CD you’re spinning or cassette you’re playing could become the new high school status symbol. It really does feel like 2008 again.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.