In a world where student attention spans are constantly shrinking and digital devices often do a better job of capturing student attention than the people around them, schools, districts, and states have been searching for ways to control mobile phones. While some have turned to legislation, opportunities have arisen that offer a technological fix to what is fundamentally a technological problem. In the ongoing battle against cell phones in schools, Generation Faraday is deploying military-grade technology to help schools defend against the mobile phone’s hold on student focus.
Generation Faraday Deploys Military Technology
Generation Faraday is an initiative from MOS Equipment, a company specializing in digital forensics. Founded about a decade ago, MOS Equipment quickly became a trusted provider of high-quality signal-blocking solutions for critical security operations. With their technology tested and approved by demanding clients in military and law enforcement sectors, the company built a strong reputation well before entering the educational market. Their signal-blocking products are used by agencies such as the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Army, and the Secret Service for high-stakes tasks like critical security operations and protecting confiscated digital devices from remote interference. Using a proprietary fabric infused with nickel and copper, they make bags that function as mini Faraday cages, completely blocking incoming or outgoing radio signals, including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and RFID. As a result, any phone placed inside such a bag becomes effectively inert. Unlike simple lockable bags that still allow notifications and vibrations, Generation Faraday’s products provide a total wireless communication blackout, eliminating all digital distractions.
Combatting Cell Phones In Schools
It is ironic that personal technology, once seen as the answer to universal access to educational tools, has become one of the biggest challenges for educators. Where it once seemed that if every student had a digital device, the potential for transformative learning would be endless, experience has shown otherwise. Instead of being the ideal learning tool, these digital devices are more like each student’s troublesome friend, encouraging distraction and pulling in anyone they can grab for the ride.
Generation Faraday essentially gives control back to educators and students by effectively eliminating phone distractions and restoring focus in classrooms, much like bringing quiet back after long periods of noise. When used in schools, each bag includes not only the shielding fabric but also practical design features based on experience, such as unique serial numbers to help a school inventory and assign them to students, similar to how law enforcement tracks evidence bags. Generation Faraday offers a companion mobile app and a cloud management system. Implementation usually involves guiding students through the simple process of installing the app on their phones. This app works smoothly with the bags to notify teachers or administrators whenever a bag is opened, improving accountability without requiring external locking and unlocking devices.
Putting Cell Phones In Schools In The Bag
Generation Faraday has conducted several successful pilot projects in California with positive outcomes. Reflecting on their experience, an assistant principal involved in a California pilot observed, “We saw an immediate change—students started engaging more fully in class discussions and interacting positively during breaks. It has significantly changed the overall learning environment.” Generation Faraday hopes that conversational intelligence will grow, and the soft skills that have diminished due to smart devices—like eye contact and camaraderie from human connection—will return.
Compared to other solutions, Yondr, a well-known product option in this space, uses a magnetic locking pouch system to restrict phone access during school hours but does not completely block signals. This allows students to still get notifications or feel vibrations. Yondr has been successful in enforcing phone policies, but it depends heavily on physical locking stations and student compliance.
Generation Faraday offers several key advantages. By completely blocking signals, it removes even minor distractions from notifications, ensuring a truly distraction-free environment. Additionally, since students carry these bags all day, they can access them quickly in emergencies, addressing a main concern for parents and school boards.
However, Generation Faraday faces the challenge of being relatively new to the education sector and lacking extensive, long-term empirical data that competitors like Yondr have gathered. Recognizing the importance of longitudinal data, Generation Faraday is actively monitoring the performance and outcomes of its pilot programs. The company plans to publish detailed studies and analyses within the next year to give educators and policymakers solid evidence supporting their approach. Still, Andrulewicz argues that the company’s strong military and law enforcement background speaks volumes: “This is a problem we’ve solved the more difficult version of, in law enforcement and military spaces.”
A Solution For Cell Phones In Schools That Works
Ultimately, combating the distraction caused by cell phones in schools is a bipartisan issue that resonates widely. As Andrulewicz notes: “It’s not a mystery to anybody who has a child that the impact of a phone, whether you call it mental health or whatever you’re calling it, is real. Everyone’s seeing it at their own dinner tables.” Generation Faraday’s deployment of proven, robust technology into classrooms marks a new front in the fight against digital distractions, with the potential to improve both educational outcomes and student wellbeing.