"The phones are an absolute distraction. Even if a kid has the phone in their pocket during class, if the phone is on vibrate every time it vibrates, which is constantly, their mind automatically shifts away from what the teacher is teaching to the phone," Tom Kersting, a psychotherapist who was a school counselor for 25 years, told The Epoch Times in agreement with the report's findings. As a proponent of banning phones in schools, Mr. Kersting suspected that Norway would see improvements in students' academics, mental health, and social and emotional skills.