Anyone who was around in 2017 likely remembers seeing fidget spinners everywhere they looked. At first, many people thought they’d help students who needed something to help them focus…but that hope didn’t last long. These studying “aids” were banned after a few weeks. Principals sent letters home & districts started rolling out official rules.
Why did schools act so fast, and what exactly did they say? Why the sudden change of heart? Let’s find out.
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Key Takeaways
You’ll learn:
- What fidget spinners were, and why kids wanted them
- When & where schools pulled the plug on spinners
- The problems principals & teachers had with fidget spinners
- How safety warnings from regulators & doctors added fuel to the fire
- The exceptions some schools made, instead of banning them completely
Before the ban
So what were fidget spinners in the first place? Well, they were the “must-have” toy of 2017, and they were small enough to fit in your pocket. These toys were usually plastic or sometimes metal, with a little ball bearing in the middle that made them spin.
Some of the more interesting ones lit up, while others clicked. Some even had built-in Bluetooth speakers for music. Because of course they did.
Many shops sold them as stress relievers & commercials suggested they could help kids with ADHD or autism. They were apparently even useful for kids with anxiety. It didn’t really matter if that was true or not because it didn’t stop people from buying them. The cheap cost didn’t hurt, either.
Soon enough, kids spun them under desks in class & swapped them like trading cards. Before the major bans, some teachers had already started confiscating them, like one seventh-grade science teacher in Parker, Colorado. He banned the spinners after he realized that kids were stealing them from each other.
How fast it spread into classrooms
Soon enough, schools in at least 11 states, including Florida, Illinois, New York, & Virginia, began cracking down on the gadgets. Parents received letters about them. Students who brought them in? They had them taken away.
One survey in May 2017 spoke to 200 of the biggest U.S. high schools. Out of those, 63 schools (about 32%) had already banned the toys or said the ban was about to start that week. This figure includes 27 public schools & 36 private ones.
So what was the reason?
Well, one of the first official letters came out of Brooklyn’s M.S. 442 on April 24, 2017. The school said kids were using spinners in hallways & cafeterias, not just in the classroom. They claimed these gadgets were actually just a “distraction.” In fact, they even warned that they could “seriously hurt someone.”
It was the same story in Ohio. Wyandot Elementary also told families in May 2017 that spinners were now banned in the classroom. And that was simply because of how distracting they’d become.
Safety flags outside school walls
Many schools around the country warned parents about distractions & hallway accidents. However, at the same time, national safety groups were raising their own alarms.
On May 26, 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it was looking into two choking cases. The first involved a 10-year-old in Texas who needed surgery & another involved a 5-year-old in Oregon. As a result, they warned families to keep spinners away from young kids.
In August 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics followed up with a warning about how the spinners can break into small parts or contain button batteries. Both of these are choking hazards.
That same summer, the CPSC also told parents to be careful with battery-powered spinners, as a few had caught fire while charging. There was even a case in Pennsylvania where a spinner with a built-in speaker set a car on fire. As such, the CPSC told parents that they should only charge them when they were present & to never leave them plugged in overnight.
What experts and retailers said during the rush
Of course, doctors weren’t shy about giving their opinions. In May 2017, a Duke University researcher said there wasn’t any solid evidence that fidget spinners helped kids with ADHD or anxiety. And that was despite the fact that these gadgets were marketed that way.
Due to the issues, stores like Learning Express put up warning signs in their stores, which told families that the toys were recommended for ages 12 & up. They also warned of the choking risks.
The exceptions some schools made
However, not all schools had a complete ban. Some of them got creative.
A few places made them recess-only toys, meaning that students could spin them all they wanted during free time. But once class started, they had to go back into the backpack. Some classrooms allowed teachers to make the call. If they felt a spinner actually helped a student focus, then it stayed, but if not, it went straight into the teacher’s desk drawer.
In other districts, things got a little stricter. One school in Kentucky said kids could only bring a spinner if they had a doctor’s note. Why? Well, it was to separate actual sensory needs from kids who just wanted to play in the classroom.
The end of the spinners
By summer 2017, most fidget spinners were left in kids’ drawers at home. The distraction problems, as well as choking hazards & fire risks, had made it clear that classrooms were no place for them. Or anywhere. The craze disappeared almost as fast as it started.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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