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The forgotten war on beepers


30 years before parents and lawmakers sought to save youth from smartphones via age limits and bans in schools, a similar conversation took place about a pre-cursor to the cellphone: pagers Through the 1980s pagers became increasingly popular with teens, and also:

30 years before parents and lawmakers sought to save youth from smartphones via age limits and bans in schools, a similar conversation took place about a pre-cursor to the cellphone: pagers The spread of the story stoked concerns that beepers in the hands of youths weren’t just a distraction - a common complaint from teachers - but also a direct line to drug dealers. In 1996 a 5-year-old in New Jersey was suspended for taking a beeper on a school trip, outrage ensured - catching the attention of Howard Stern, leading to calls for the laws to be amended or repealed.

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