As the new school year began, Bridgewater-Raritan High School began to give students new online IDs in place of physical ID cards.

Two months into the school year, a question arises: what do students think of this?

Last year, many student IDs did not work, and many students had to purchase new IDs multiple times. Students either lost their IDs, broke them or they just worked poorly, which caused the high school to replace all the ID scanners to get into buildings and also include an online ID along with the physical student ID. Students can now use their online IDs through the HID app, but is this encouraging students to use their cell phones more?

Many students claim that their online ID is easier to use since it is easier to access their phone rather than look through their bag to find their physical ID. Many students arrive late to class because they lost their ID, or it no longer works, making it difficult to get into the building until another student with an ID comes by.

Students find it easier to use their phones to get into buildings as it is easier to always have a smartphone than to keep track of a physical ID. In BRHS, almost all the doors for the buildings have ID scanners and students are also required to scan their IDs for using bathrooms and the library. This is when the online ID is more accessible and more efficient than the physical ID. 

Nonetheless, the online ID has its drawbacks. Many students have parental controls on their phones which puts restrictions on screen time and app usage. In this case, individuals would have to get permission from their parents to download the app; even after getting the app, they would have screen time limits.

Currently, teenagers use most of their screen time to scroll for scrolling on social media, so after reaching their daily screen time limit, they can no longer use any apps including the online ID. Students may also sometimes forget their phone which would require them to use their physical ID to access school facilities.

Online IDs have many benefits but it also has its challenges. There are certain scenarios that make online or physical IDs more advantageous, so their use depends on the student and their behaviors.