#3 - Why schools shouldn't ban smartphones from the classroom - Dr Aaron Cheng

Banning technology can look like a quick fix - it reduces distraction and reassures parents, but in the long run, it isn't a sustainable solution. In reality, it risks widening the digital divide. Students in schools that integrate tools, such as smartphones, will learn faster, adapt better, and move ahead, shaping them to thrive in the digital economy of tomorrow. In this episode, Dr Aaron Cheng, Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Innovation in the Department of Management at LSE, discusses the findings of his recent paper From Smartphones to Smart Students: Learning vs. Distraction Using Smartphones in the Classroom, which shows that when used correctly, smartphones can be useful tools that enhance learning rather than detract from it.Banning smartphones ignores the reality that they are already central to students’ daily lives. Used wisely, smartphones can foster real-time collaboration, instant access to information, personalised learning, and responsible digital citizenship — skills essential for the modern world. Dr Cheng's findings strongly advocate a balanced, practical approach to smartphone use in education. Instead of banning them, educators and policymakers should focus on turning these devices into structured, valuable learning opportunities. Dr Cheng studies the economics of digitisation and AI and their implications for sustainable business and society. Grounded in experimental and observational evidence, his research identifies causal effects and structural mechanisms by which digital innovation redistributes key inputs — time, space, attention, labour, and capital — and transforms individual choices and institutional dynamics.