The cellphone prohibition in Middle School has been operating for some time now, and rumors have surfaced that this restriction might be implemented into High School. We shouldn’t ignore the immense influence that technology holds over us, as we can all observe how cell phones grant us with the accessibility to vast amounts of information within the grasp of our hands. Cell phones help us keep connected to our society and the outside world that is changing constantly. This is why the implementation of such cellphone prohibition seems nonviable, as it will not only affect every student but also for some students that act simultaneously as students and young entrepreneurs, would affect both them and their business significantly.

For these young entrepreneurs, in which their business is a big part of their adolescent lives, they must be able to find a balance between school and their business. In order for them to be capable of reaching this equilibrium, they use their cellphone as their most essential tool for managing their business while both at school and outside of school. For Alejandro Gomez, 11th grade student, stucco , and clothing business owner, the use of his cellphone is crucial for running his business, Car-Men, as he said, “I use it because I all of the time need to be contacting people to see how production is going, to see how the sales are going, I have to pay for events, I have to receive money, so my cellphone is my most important tool for the business.” Being connected to the world and keeping good communication is what allows for a business to thrive in the harsh environment that is starting up a company. This is why having a complete ban on cellphones at school is alarming to both students and entrepreneurs, as they fear that their business might be gravely affected by the regulation. “It would definitely slow things down because labor hours are usually from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and if I couldn’t use my cell phone during school hours, I would only have from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm to get everything sorted out, and that’s basically impossible,” said Gomez. The point that Gomez brings up is very important when entrepreneurs have to deal with people that are only available during labor hours, as it would only allow them a space of one hour to get things sorted; sometimes it’s just too late.

The IDVDL brand, which is the 9th-grade student, Antonio Lugo’s clothing business, focuses on selling hoodies which he, himself designs. Lugo also uses his cell phone as his most important tool in the business as he must deal with people that also work labor hours. “If I need to make a change in an order that I made with the guy that sells me the hoodies, I need to call him instantly because if not everything would be very messed up and disorganized,” said Lugo. Lugo not only has to constantly use his phone to keep track of everything but also the tasks that he performs on his cellphone are of very timely manners, as if he needs to make any modifications, he must do them immediately. If the cell phone prohibition is put in motion, it would impede Lugo to make any last minute modifications and be forced to face the consequences of an incorrect order. “The use of a cell phone here is very important for me [if I can’t use it] I would have to be a lot more organized outside of school, like planning things before and it would really negatively affect the business,” said Lugo. Although not all student entrepreneurs have to work around labor hours and immediate changes to orders, there are others that still have to be connected with their customers, as is the case with Maria Jose Rico.

Le Rouge Bakery, a pastry business owned and managed by the 11th-grade student, Maria Jose Rico, focuses on delivering sweetness and delicious pastries to her customers. Although she produces and bakes the sweets herself, she still needs her cell phone throughout the day to manage her Instagram account. “I’ve recently created an Instagram for people to write through dm’s so they can order whatever they want, and also I’ve put my cell phone so people can call me and write to me through WhatsApp,” said Rico. Not only does she need her cellphone to manage orders but she also needs to organize and arrange deliveries of her own products. When she was asked as how would her business be affected by a cell phone she said, “I’m currently getting orders all day so if I don’t know my orders it will be really bad for my business, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish them nor I could communicate with other orders which I am delivering that day, so I think it would be terrible for my business.” After interviewing all of these entrepreneurs, Rico showed the biggest disagreement towards the rumours of having a cell phone ban in High School, when asked if she agreed or not she responded by saying, “I disagree with this policy, I think it’s not the way to manage a problem like avoiding it, I think there are many ways and the school is not reaching out to those other ways but they are just taking the easiest path which is eliminating phones.” Although she does have a concrete point, and it is that the school has the tendency of finding the easiest solution without giving them much thought and without seeing the perspective and position of their students.

This cell phone prohibition or ban, that is supposedly coming to High School, as stated before would greatly impact student entrepreneurs and business owners, as it would restrict them of using their most essential tool when it comes to managing and operating their business. As according to Entrepreneur, “The phone is a powerful business weapon, whether it’s for making contacts with customers or making cold calls to get new customers. The phone is necessary and integral to your success.”