As you may know, Pingry introduced a no-phone policy for the Upper School this year. At first, it seemed like a well-intentioned move. But after just a couple days without my trusty device, I already came to the conclusion that the policy might not be as great as it sounds. The truth is, phones are indispensable to feeding our mind-numbing addiction. So, over the past few months, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of reasons why students should be allowed to keep their phones and, in the most diplomatic way possible, why this new policy should be canceled.
Reason #1: The Human Calculator Dilemma
Sure, we’re supposed to be academic powerhouses, but let’s be real—who among us can genuinely do basic mental math without breaking into a cold sweat? Without phones, we’re left with dusty old calculators that don’t even have Instagram. The horror.
Reason #2: Our Social Lives Are Crumbling
Without our phones, we’ve been reduced to making eye contact. Eye contact! This barbaric practice has left many students socially unmoored. How else are we supposed to scroll TikTok during boring conversations or post a private story to Snapchat of how you just bombed your calculus test? Now we have to actually talk to people, and frankly, we’re not qualified.
Reason #3: Phones Are Educational Tools
Ever heard of “dual-purpose learning”? Phones are multifunctional marvels. Sure, you can play Block Blast during Morning Meetings, but you can also Google “what is the mitochondria again?” during bio class. Multitasking is a life skill.
Reason #4: Phones Build Independence
Contrary to popular belief, phones don’t distract us—they prepare us for the real world. Navigating a buzzing notification bar while writing an essay is great training for managing future office emails. This policy isn’t creating focus—it’s creating a generation of office drones.
Reason #5: The People Are Starving
Without our phones, how else are we supposed to use Apple Pay to conveniently take all of our friends to buy $10 worth of snacks at the bookstore, or go on a mid-day run to Chipotle? And let’s not forget the most important part: documenting the haul. If there’s no picture of your Starbucks and perfectly folded burrito, did it even happen? Phones aren’t just about convenience—they’re about curating a life that says, “I’ve got it together (even if I’m just barely surviving a physics lab).” The no-phone policy isn’t just robbing us of our tech—it’s robbing us of our brand.
Reason #6: The Classic "Oops, I Missed Class" Moment
Without phones, we’re forced to quickly memorize our schedules during morning advisory every day. So, when you thought you had first lunch and instead you have second lunch, you’re not just late to lunch—you’re late to class. But hey, if it means I have another excuse to “accidentally” miss my APUSH test… well, I wouldn’t complain about that. The genuinely bad part, though? You might just be missing the 10-minute meeting you barely squeezed onto Ms. Johnston’s Google Calendar because you completely forgot about it. Phones are a godsend for checking Google Calendar, and without them, we’re just wandering campus like confused time travelers.
Sure, banning phones may seem like a good idea in theory, but in practice, it’s just turned us into older versions of iPad kids. If Pingry really wants to teach us real-life skills, let us keep our phones. After all, isn’t that what adulthood is all about—balancing a busy life with constant daily distractions? Instead, this policy has left us fumbling through the day like a Wi-Fi router without a connection: lost, frustrated, and totally ineffective. So, let’s face it. Phones aren’t the enemy—they’re the glue that holds our overbooked, overstressed lives together. Taking them away hasn’t solved any problems; it’s just created new ones (looking at you, missed Google Calendar alerts). Now, I need to find someone with a watch to tell me what time it is—because apparently, that’s what we’ve come to.
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To contact the author by old fashioned email: Ivy Zhang '26
Photo by Natalie Gonzalez