30 years ago, pagers sparked controversy among parents and lawmakers due to their popularity among both teens and drug dealers. The gadgets were seen as a direct line to the drug trade, leading to prohibitions in schools, towns, and states, even resulting in arrests and suspensions of students found with pagers. Motorola, holding 80% of the pager market, fought back against the backlash by rallying youth and promoting pagers as legitimate communication devices for the young. Despite the ongoing ban in New Jersey, the rise of cellphones in schools coincided with reduced youth drug use, casting doubt on the notion that mobile messaging leads to increased drug access.
https://newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org/p/the-forgotten-war-on-beepers