By Kristian Fearon ’25
With the undeniable problem of phone addiction and lack of focus in school, the implementation of Yondr has started at several schools around the nation as an attempt to gain control of this dominating issue. As some schools believe this serves as a solution for this issue, it is really necessary? How safe is this? And is it really effective? These are just few of the questions people have about this product.
Some background on this topic: Yondr was created in 2014 by former soccer player Graham Dugoni. “Graham conceived of a simple solution to a very complex problem. He believed that society would need protected places — something akin to National Parks –– where the human spirit could thrive and creativity and productivity could flourish in the absence of technology,’’ reports OverYondr.com. Yondr can be used for concerts, schools, and stand-up shows.
Yondr is used in schools to store cell phones and would be unlocked at the end of the school day or when administrators say students are permitted to use devices, creating less distractions and more productivity in the classroom. Many at DHS are against the implementation of Yondr as the arrival of these pouches has been suggested for Derby High School. Many feel it’s unsafe to have, with the constant occurrence of school shootings in the US, and Yondr is a big concern for many. For example, Aliyah Morales ‘25 states, “I don’t like them because if we were to have a real emergency, we wouldn’t be able to contact our family directly, or our family wouldn’t be able to contact us, we won’t be able to reach them… I feel like it’s just putting us in danger.” Another student, Aniyah Rogers ‘25 said, “Yes, it would be efficient for people to stay off their phones, but there’s many downfalls to this… hypothetically if we were ever to be in a real lockdown, we wouldn’t be able to get in contact with our family if our phone were in the Yondr pouches.” The implementation of Yondr in schools makes contact with relatives very difficult and causes unnecessary worry in students.
Others also argue that students’ behavior will get worse, and in turn Yonder will cause more issues, and negative behavior in class will skyrocket. In an interview, English teacher Jessie Yanes states, “I really support the concept, however my concern is the resistance that teachers will have to deal with in getting students to use them. I think that could cause tension and conflict, so I worry about that, but I do really support the idea of it.” If these bags are implemented, behavior in our community will get worse, students will just disobey and issues will arise in our school.
Another argument was that Yondr would be a waste of time and money here at DHS. “I believe this is an elementary thing, I think high school students should be able to listen to the classroom routines and be obedient and put it away. I have no issues with cell phones in my classroom,” states Spanish teacher Francisco Salazar. Teachers need to be on top of cell phone use in classes, and students should cooperate. Salazar also goes on to say, “I don’t think we should have them, it’s a waste of money. I think our teachers should have classroom management down to a pact and treat the students like adults, because they’re going to be leaving and going to college.”
The implementation of Yondr wouldn’t serve as a long term solution for the distraction of cell phone devices. Yondr shouldn’t be implemented around the nation or at Derby High. Yondr isn’t safe, taking away phones would just make things worse, and it’s a waste of time. High school students are older and need to have real reparations.
The Raider Press 