The Cell Phone Policy Task Force, introduced to the community in Fall 2024, has officially been established. The goals of the task force, composed of both students and faculty, include building a community where students can focus academically, feel safe and supported, and connect with others. Co-Chaired by Susan Tsao Esty and David Gardner, Dean and Assistant Dean of Students and Residential Life, the task force is composed of seven students and seven faculty members.
The task force is divided into three sections with various tasks assigned to each group: cell phone usage, broader policies across peer schools, and developmental research. The groups have begun completing their tasks as well as creating future plans. David Gardner, Assistant Dean of Students and Residential Life and one of the Co-Heads of the task force explained how the group structured their work.
“Early on, we divided into three subgroups to tackle different aspects of the work. One group has focused on understanding current cell phone practices, uses, culture, and needs at Andover… Another group has examined cell phone policies at over a dozen other boarding schools in the Northeast… The third group has explored current research on the intersections of education, smartphone use, and adolescent development and well-being,” wrote Gardner in an email to The Phillipian.
Other schools, such as Deerfield, have implemented policies including prohibiting students from bringing their phones to class, freshman locking up their phones at 10:30 p.m., and requiring lowerclassmen to keep their phones outside their rooms during study hours. Xavier Moran ’26, a member of the task force, highlighted the task force’s outreach to other school representatives.
“[In the past few months], we have reached out to multiple other schools like Choate, [Phillips] Exeter [Academy], St. John’s Preparatory, Brooks, and Deerfield. We reached out to their students and their Head of Schools to get information about what policies they might have and what part of the process they are at if they don’t have one and if they’re planning to make one. We’ve reached out to them, and then we’ve also sent out surveys to students and teachers regarding their opinions on cell phones,” said Moran.
Moran continued, “An interesting thing we found at these other schools is after the first month or first couple weeks students had a mixed reaction to the policy, but then after a while the student body reacted positively to the change.”
Gardner expressed his hopes for more students to get involved in building a policy that is well-informed and widely favored. He expanded on the next steps that the task force plans to take, which will be more open to broader student opinion.
“There are several ways for the school community to get involved! Now that we have gathered our first round of data and insights, our next big step is to develop and test pilot programs for the spring. These pilots, along with the upcoming student focus groups, will allow us to gather additional feedback and data in the context of Andover. Students can participate in upcoming focus groups or join one of the spring pilot programs,” wrote Gardner.
Niki Tavakoli ’27, another member of the task force, noted the importance of students having a role on the task force. She reflected on its overall goal of incorporating student input to help develop a policy that builds a better learning community.
“I would say that the reason for me, and probably a lot of other students, on the task force why we joined is that there is going to be a policy. No matter what, there will be a policy of some sort. I think that it is better if we have the opportunity to be a part of deciding what that is… Our goal as students isn’t to ban cell phones. We’re [here] to make sure that the policy serves all students,” said Tavakoli.
While the task force aims to develop a balanced phone policy, some students outside the group have concerns about the impacts it may have. Edward Zhang ’27 shared his thoughts on the potential limitations a policy could set on the students.
“I am just worried that [the task force] may overstep boundaries and take away more than they should. If they start taking away the right to use your phone I guess that is kind of bad if you need to do something like calling your parents, or do other important stuff… I am not really sure if the school should be the one who is controlling cell phone usage. Because the point of going to this school is that you have your independence. We want to keep that,” said Zhang.
Editor’s Note: Niki Tavikoli is a News Staff Writer at The Phillipian
