By: Henry Coster

It is no debate that phones are becoming an increasing issue in today’s society, particularly within the classroom. But what is being done to help prevent this? Well, this is where Yondr comes in. 

Well, what is Yondr? Yondr is a specifically-designed pouch that is designed to lock your phone when you are within a designated phone-free zone. The design is aimed at creating phone-free spaces for people such as artists, educators, organizations, and most importantly, students. 

According to Common Sense Media (2025), “97% of 11‑ to 17‑year‑olds who have smartphones are using them throughout the school day.” (para. 1) This number is significantly higher, showing the urgent need for something such as Yondr to come in and help bring the number down. There are a variety of negative effects that phones can have on a student’s learning, so let’s talk about them. 

Studies indicate that cell phone use in classrooms can lead to decreased focus and lower grades due to distractions such as messaging and social media (Smale, Hutcheson, & Russo, 2020). This evidence highlights how effective Yondr could be when it comes to boosting student grades and helping them to go further in their life beyond education. With Yondr, distractions such as messaging and social media would be heavily restricted, which would help students focus more in class and as a result, achieve better grades.

Another effect of phone usage in class, which potentially isn’t talked about as much, is cyberbullying. “The rise of cell phone usage has been linked to increased rates of cyberbullying among students. This can severely affect mental health and safety, leading to tragic consequences in some cases” (Smale, Hutcheson, & Russo, 2020, p. 54). Again, this evidence gives college students even more reason to look towards Yondr as a solution to their problems, as other issues, such as cyberbullying, which you may not have even thought about until now, will arise with the usage of mobile phones in classrooms. 

After conducting my research, I then went and interviewed a mixture of freshmen, transfers and upper classmen on campus to see what they thought about the idea of Yondr pouches and if they would like to see them be introduced at Wesleyan. In response to this, one student, who wishes to remain unnamed, said, “I think it would be a good idea. I think some students would be reluctant to use it at first, but maybe after seeing some positive impacts from other students using it, it may create a trend within the school, and then everyone would be using it.” After interviewing this student and others who provided similar responses, I believe it’s clear that many students on campus would be in favor of introducing Yondr pouches. 

Overall, the studies mentioned above, paired with the interviews I did on students, suggest that Yondr pouches would be a positive addition to the school system and something that the school should consider when it comes to lesson planning. So, for all the students reading this, try to count how many times you go on your phone in your next class, and decide for yourselves whether or not you think Yondr pouches would help your learning.

Photo Credits: Monmouth University Newspaper “The Outlook”