The change of clocks, implemented during World War I as an energy-saving measure, remains a yearly routine for most of the United States. However, growing debates question whether DST is still necessary in modern society. Critics argue that the original purpose of saving energy is no longer valid due to modern technologies like air conditioning and electronics that run constantly.
“Those who want to stick with standard time say it benefits our health, as it is better to have more light in the morning, paving the way for improved sleep cycles on darker evenings,” reporter Nadine Yousef of the BBC said.
Any changes to daylight saving time require federal approval, a significant hurdle for states hoping to eliminate or make DST permanent. States like Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe DST, while states such as Florida and Washington have passed legislation to make DST permanent but await federal approval.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” President-elect Donald Trump said via The Associated Press.
Supporters of DST argue it boosts economic activity by extending evening daylight hours, particularly for retail businesses. However, opponents point to the disruption of sleep patterns as unnecessary and harmful.
Efforts to establish permanent daylight saving time in Illinois have included House Bill 216, sponsored by Representatives Adam Niemerg, Brad Halbrook, and Chris Miller. The bill, which aimed to amend the Time Standardization Act and make DST the year-round standard in Illinois, was introduced in 2021 but did not advance beyond committee discussions.
Some students at West Chicago Community High School shared mixed feelings about daylight saving time. Senior Natan Przybylko described the issue as “a superfluous piece of policy that doesn’t really do much.”
“People should be focusing on more impactful things, like USPS or vaccine policies,” Przybylko said.
On the other hand, fellow senior Michaela Miller expressed a personal connection to longer daylight hours.
“I like it being light for longer because it makes me feel productive. But I feel like Christmas lights don’t look as good in the light,” Miller said.
Despite her personal preference, she acknowledged that other issues might be more pressing; still, the issue of daylight savings time has been a source of contention for some time.
“You might have one town has daylight saving time, the neighboring town might have daylight saving time but start it and end it on different dates and the third neighboring town might not have it at all. It became very unpopular very quickly,” said David Prerau, author of Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time.
As debates continue, the issue reflects a broader divide over the benefits and drawbacks of DST in today’s world. Whether daylight saving time remains or is eliminated, its impact on daily life continues to spark conversation nationwide.
