By Alexandra Samuels

Copyright dailydot

A teacher went viral on TikTok after showing how some school-aged kids are finding ways around classroom phone bans.

Valerie Elizabeth Dickinson (@valerieelizabet) shared how students at her school are getting around the rules—and it’s surprisingly clever.

“School kids are creating a Google Doc with their friends that they all have real-time access to, and they just type into it during class,” she explained. “They basically reinvented the AOL chat room.”

As of Friday, her clip had racked up nearly 495,900 views.

Why are schools banning phones?

Schools are increasingly banning or limiting the use of phones, with those opposed to having them in classrooms arguing that they have a detrimental impact on students’ learning, mental health, and social development. According to Education Week, 31 states and Washington, D.C., have adopted some form of restriction.

Phones are a constant source of distraction—and that’s especially true in classrooms. The incessant buzzing of notifications from social media and texting interrupts focus. There’s even research suggesting that having a phone close by can limit a student’s ability to think clearly.

@valerieelizabet 18/f/ca #phone #highschool #parenting #teacher #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound – Valerie Elizabeth Dickinson

Other studies have shown the benefits of not having phones in class. In 2024, Yondr found a 6.27% boost in academic performance among students whose schools limited phone use. Research from The London School of Economics, meanwhile, found that phone-free students perform 13–20% better on exams.

Mental health is another big factor. Excessive phone and social media use has been linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression, especially in girls. Features like “likes” are designed to be addictive, and students often get anxious when they can’t check their phones.

Phones can also stunt social skills. When there are breaks between classes, such as during lunch or recess, many students spend their time buried in their phones instead of engaging in real-time socialization with friends. Taking phones away can actually push them to talk and build social skills.

Of course, banning phones isn’t necessarily a perfect solution. Parents have expressed concerns about reaching their kids in an emergency. And some studies even show that bans don’t always change grades or behavior. These laws may change over time, but, at least for now, the potential academic, social, and mental health benefits of banning phones in classrooms outweigh the drawbacks of keeping them there.

Commenters say kids aren’t reinventing the wheel

Viewers who watched Dickinson’s post said it was pretty funny that today’s chronically online kids are resorting to “old school” ways of communicating, joking that they aren’t that different from how they were at that age.

“I’ve been doing this since elementary school,” one person bragged. “I graduated in 2024. This is not new.”

“I did this 10 years ago, but we were able to message each other in Google Classroom,” another wrote. “Ahhh, I’m getting old.”

“Bro, I did this with my friends in 2018,” a third person said.

Others shared their own methods for getting around phone bans.

“My friends and I used to just email each other, or I think there was even a chat feature on Gmail,” one shared.

“Used to text my siblings on a Nintendo DS,” another wrote. “Phone bans are nothing.”

“Wait until they rediscover passing notes,” a third viewer quipped.

Some commenters praised today’s kids for their ingenuity and creativity.

“Kids need to communicate,” one person said. “I love this!! I’m a Gen-X, and we passed notes all day, every day.”

“Kids will always find a way, but honestly, the creativity involved is a skill worth developing,” another said.

“I actually love this,” a third commenter added, highlighting that thinking outside the box is something all generations can appreciate.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Dickinson via a comment on TikTok.

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